The San Francisco 49ers were plenty busy on Friday dealing Derek Carrier, but the team did wrap up their practice week as well. The 49ers host the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, and they used Friday as a test-run for the regular season. According to the practice reports, the team ran some work with their scout team, which will be a regular feature once the season gets here.
Practice was not quite as long as the rest this week, but the team still got some good work in. The big news, of sorts, is that Keith Reaser remained with the starting defense. He has been practicing opposite Tramaine Brock all week, which would potentially indicate he will do so this Sunday against the Cowboys. The question now is whether this is a permanent change, or if it is just one week where the team is mixing things up to see what else is out there for them. I suppose we should wait and see what Sunday brings, if Reaser is even in the starting lineup at cornerback, before making that judgment.
Cam Inman's practice report referenced another big catch by Jarryd Hayne. It is worth noting it came against players further down the secondary depth chart, but it is good to see him making some big plays. His best chance at making the 49ers is on special teams, but everything he can add as a running back only bolsters his opportunity.
Glenn Dorsey, Philip Wheeler and Bruce Ellington all sat out practice, as they deal with muscle strains. Eli Harold was back after a muscle strain kept him out yesterday. Joe Staley was also back after a veteran's day off. It seems likely that Wheeler and Ellington will both miss this weekend's game, marking two straight such absences. Both should make the 49ers roster this year, but extended absences do not bode well for playing time once the regular season gets here. Hopefully they are back in action next week.
We only have a couple practice reports in, with the Derek Carrier news dominating the afternoon. I've embedded the media Twitter list, and will add links to new reports as they are published.
Grant Cohn
Cam Inman
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