49ers promote Chase Thomas from practice squad

The San Francisco 49ers have elevated outside linebacker Chase Thomas to the 53-man roster. Veteran Dan Skuta has not practiced all week due to an ankle sprain and was listed as questionable on the official injury report on Friday. The questionable designation is supposed to denote a 50 percent chance of playing, but Skuta's chances seem a lot worse than that.

With this roster move, it essentially confirms that he won't play. This is actually a big deal given how well Skuta has played in recent weeks. Skuta has been surprisingly solid rushing the passer this season, so much so that I was entertaining the idea that a Skuta plus Aaron Lynch pairing was superior to Lynch plus Ahmad Brooks.

Skuta sustained the injury in the fourth quarter of Sunday's loss to the St. Louis Rams. As late as Friday, Skuta sounded pessimistic about his ability to play.

Thomas was signed this offseason to the 49ers' practice squad after an impressive training camp. He's a guy that was brought in by Jim Harbaugh, likely due to the Stanford connection. If he plays in Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints, it would be his NFL debut. He could see some time on the field, but Aaron Lynch would be the primary beneficiary of Skuta being inactive.