Matthews, 27, re-joined his offseason teammates on the practice field on Thursday. The receiver was initially signed on March 14 but was part of the team's 53-player roster cutdown before the start of the regular season.
"Jordan was one of the first guys that came up to me in the offseason, kind of wanted to learn the intricacies of the offense and everything, and how it's all tied together," quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo told reporters on Thursday. "Just his work ethic is incredible. There's not many guys that have been around like that, so it's great to have a guy like that back."
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The Philadelphia Eagles made Matthews a second-round selection out of Vanderbilt in 2014. He registered 20 receptions for 300 yards with two touchdowns through 14 games and three starts with the Eagles in 2018.
The 49ers now have two receivers on injured reserve. They are Trent Taylor (foot) and Jalen Hurd (back).
"You'd like to always have six receivers up because you usually take five into game day, and Jordan was a guy who was extremely close to making our team," Shanahan said on Thursday. "We knew if those guys didn't come back, he'd be the next man up."
Matthews has caught 270 passes for 3,255 yards with 22 touchdowns through his five NFL seasons. He also spent time with the Buffalo Bills during his professional career.
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