The San Francisco 49ers released cornerback Will Redmond from injured reserve last week, and he now has a new home. ESPN’s Field Yates is reporting the Kansas City Chiefs have signed Redmond to their practice squad.
Redmond never could get healthy in his brief time with the 49ers. Trent Baalke spent a third round pick on the potential nickel back, and it is no surprise John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan decided to part ways with him.
The 49ers made 11 picks in the 2016 draft. They parted ways with Redmond and traded Rashard Robinson on the same day. This leaves them with two of those draft picks on the active roster, and three on injured reserve. DeForest Buckner (1st) and Ronald Blair (5th) are both active, while Joshua Garnett (1st), Aaron Burbridge (6th), and Prince Charles Iworah (7th) are on IR. The departed players include Redmond (3rd) and Robinson (4th), and then John Theus and Fahn Cooper (5th), and Jeff Driskel and Kelvin Taylor (6th).
Buckner is a building block piece, Garnett will get a chance to prove he belongs next offseason, and Blair is back from IR with a chance to prove he can offer some versatility. If Garnett can work out as a stable guard option, that could give the 49ers two significant building block pieces next year. But other than that, its fitting that Trent Baalke’s final draft is turning into another mostly wasted year.