49ers waive 2 players, sign 2 tryout candidates, including lesser known Kevin Greene

The San Francisco 49ers officially announced four roster moves, one of which we already knew about. The 49ers announced they have waived/injured offensive tackle Luke Marquardt, and waived/non-football injury defensive end Morgan Breslin. The team in turn signed former Stanford linebacker Chase Thomas and USC tight end Kevin Greene.

If Marquardt clears waivers, the 49ers will retain his rights on their injured list. The 49ers do not necessarily have to keep him if they don't want to, but they have the option to keep him on injured reserve for the year. Matt Barrows initially reported the move last week, and a source told him it was because Marquardt had re-fractured the same foot that cost him 2012 and 2013.

Breslin played only five games in 2013 due to a sports hernia issue. He reportedly was in line to collect on an insurance policy because of his injuries. If Breslin clears waivers, the 49ers could elect to retain him on their NFI list. Breslin's odds of making the 53-man roster were pretty slim, but this could buy him some time to get healthy. Dan Skuta is entering the final year of his 2-year contract, so there could be more room for competition in 2015.

The 49ers brought in Chase Thomas and Kevin Greene as tryout candidates for this past weekend's minicamp. Thomas went undrafted last year, signing with the New Orleans Saints. The Saints waived him midway through training camp, and he was claimed off waived by the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders then released him at the end of training camp. He signed to the Atlanta Falcons practice squad September 17, 2013, and spent the rest of the season with Atlanta. Following the 2013 season, he signed a Reserve/Future contract with the Green Bay Packers, and was later released on May 12, 2014. NFL.com has a scouting report you can check out.

Greene went undrafted earlier this month, but what is most interesting is that it looks like the 49ers will look to convert him to offense. The team announced him as a tight end, but most of his college career consisted of defensive end and linebacker work. It sounds like he got some work at tight end in camp with USC. The 49ers have their first two tight ends pretty much locked in place. Vance McDonald struggled as a rookie, but he's not going anywhere yet. That leaves the door open for serious competition between Greene, Garrett Celek, Derek Carrier and Asante Cleveland.