The San Francisco 49ers announced nine signings to the 2016 practice squad on Sunday morning. The team could begin signing players at 10 a.m. PT, and nine are official. Here are the players signed thus far.
WR Dres Anderson
OL Alex Balducci
OL Fahn Cooper
TE Je’Ron Hamm
CB Prince Charles Iworah
OL Norman Price
LB Marcus Rush
LB Shayne Skov
RB Kelvin Taylor
Former New England Patriots wide receiver Chris Harper tweeted that he is getting an opportunity with the 49ers. That would suggest he will be the tenth and final member of the practice squad.
Looking at the first nine players, five are rookies, including three of the team’s draft picks (Cooper, Taylor, Iworah), and two UDFAs (Balducci, Price). It includes UDFAs from last year, including Dres Anderson and Marcus Rush. It also includes 2014 UDFAs Shayne Skov and Je’Ron Hamm. The 49ers claimed Hamm off waivers last year, while Skov spent some time in Tampa Bay before returning to the 49ers. He was on the active roster last season for 15 games.
The team can promote players to the 53-man roster at any point during the season. The most notable example last year was guard Andrew Tiller. Practice squad players can also sign with another team at any time. They are technically under practice squad contract with the 49ers, but that contract allows the out if another team pays them for a minimum of three weeks on the active roster.