San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
The San Francisco 49ers have made an interesting roster move that indicates they’ll be without one of their key players for the season opener.
Per David Lombardi of The Athletic, the San Francisco 49ers have signed offensive tackle Brandon Parker. The move is noteworthy because All-Pro offensive tackle Trent Williams is in a holdout, and there’s no timeline on a potential resolution.
The 49ers had room for an additional roster spot after placing rookie wide receiver Rookie Pearsall on the reserve/non-football injury list. Pearsall was shot in the chest during an armed robbery on Saturday and spent one day in the hospital before being released on Sunday.
With Pearsall on the reserve/non-football injury list, he’ll miss a minimum of four games. This means the soonest he can return is on Oct. 6 for the team’s Week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals.
With Williams’ status for Week 1 up in the air, Parker provides sufficient depth for Kyle Shanahan’s group. The 28-year-old was a third-round pick by the Raiders in 2018 and appeared in 59 games over his tenure with the organization, including 33 starts.
The Drama Doesn’t End For The San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers spent months trying to finalize a contract extension for superstar wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who wound up requesting a trade in July. But after months of back-and-forth negotiations, the two sides finally reached an agreement on a four-year extension worth $120 million.
But the drama is far from over for GM John Lynch, who now must resolve the contract status of his top offensive linemen. With Williams entering his age-36 season, it’s understandable that he wants to secure more money now, but it’s still a frustrating problem for the 49ers.