The San Francisco 49ers are back for OTAs this week, and Tuesday marks the first day of media availability during this period. The media will get to observe practice, and then have media availability with Kyle Shanahan at approximately 2 p.m. PT, and the locker room after that.
The team made a roster list available to the media, and reports from the facility indicate several players have changed numbers. Most notably, first round pick Solomon Thomas has switched from 96 at rookie minicamp to 94. Justin Smith was the last member of the 49ers to wear that number. I don’t expect it to be retired, but it is certainly a bold option. It is possible he was just re-assigned the number by the equipment managers. Of course, he also is not participating in practice due to the Stanford final exam schedule. We’ll see what Thomas is wearing when August arrives.
Linebacker Dekoda Watson is now wearing No. 97. Matt Maiocco tweeted that it is the first time the number has been issued since Bryant Young retired after the 2007 season. It is worth noting that numbers can change plenty between now and the end of training camp.
Some other number changes include cornerback Rashard Robinson switching from 26 back to 33, and running back Kapri Bibbs wearing 26. Defensive tackle D.J. Jones is now wearing 96, and running back Joe Williams is wearing No. 32. Finally, cornerback Adrian Colbert is wearing No. 38, and free agent addition Tim Hightower is wearing No. 22.