:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/24943391/168519743.0.jpg)
Tuesday afternoon, the San Francisco 49ers placed defensive tackle Tank Carradine on injured reserve. They also signed guard Ryan Seymour off the Seattle Seahawks practice squad to fill Tank's roster spot. Finally, they signed wide receiver Devon Wylie to the practice squad. We had some discussion on all three transactions yesterday, but I thought I'd take a look at each of the transactions individually. Today, we'll start with Tank's placement on injured reserve.
The 49ers decision to place Tank Carradine on injured reserve is both surprising and not so surprising. The surprise comes from the fact that he had not appeared on the injury report in the weeks following his activation off the Non-Football Injury list. There could be one explanation for that. Per Matt Maiocco:
But, last week, defensive coaches began to think that Carradine did not look right. The medical staff checked him out and decided it was best to take him off the practice field and concentrate on his rehab.
There has been some discussion about the 49ers having to re-start Tank's rehab due to rushed work leading up to the draft. Whether that's true or not, there has also been discussion about his transition from Florida State's defensive philosophy to that of the 49ers. Tank was able to learn the playbook following the draft, but he was not able to get in on drills until after he came off the NFI list. That means no offseason program, no training camp, and six weeks of rehabbing.
The 49ers knew this coming in, so it's not a surprise in that sense. Furthermore, the performance of Tony Jerod-Eddie, and Demarcus Dobbs to some extent, likely made this decision that much easier to make. The 49ers went into the season with reserve options along the defensive line, but once Glenn Dorsey had to move into the starting lineup, they didn't really know what to expect. TJE has shined in spelling Ray McDonald, so the team can afford to take their time with Tank, much like they are doing with Marcus Lattimore.
The 49ers have plenty of football left to be played, but next years OTAs, minicamps and training camp will feature a fascinating competition along the defensive line. With Ian Williams returning, he'll be competing with Glenn Dorsey and Quinton Dial at nose tackle. Additionally, Dorsey likely could find himself added into the competition with Jerod-Eddie, Dobbs and Tank, and Lawrence Okoye to at least a modest extent.
