Fooch’s update: Charges against Murphy were dropped in May.
The San Francisco 49ers made a second roster move for a wide receiver on Monday, signing free agent wide receiver Louis Murphy. They made room for Murphy by using the waived/injured designation on rookie linebacker Jimmie Gilbert. The move comes a couple hours after the team claimed wide receiver Tim Patrick off waivers and waived/injured B.J. Johnson III. Gilbert and Johnson will revert to the 49ers injured reserve list if they are not claimed when waivers runs on Tuesday.
Gilbert suffered a torn ACL, while Johnson suffered some kind of tear of his hamstring, according to head coach Kyle Shanahan. I was expecting the team to add a safety given the injuries to Jimmie Ward, Eric Reid, and Jaquiski Tartt. They could still decide to do that if Tartt’s rib area injury is a bigger problem, or if Reid’s ankle is slow to get back to 100 percent.
Murphy (6-2, 200) was originally drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the fourth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He spent three seasons with the Raiders, and then bounced around with the Carolina Panthers and New York Giants, before spending two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He opened the 2016 season on the PUP list before eventually being replaced. Over the course of his career, he has appeared in 88 games (28 starts) and registered 162 receptions for 2,322 yards and 10 touchdowns.
This past April, Murphy was arrested at Tampa International Airport for when airport security discovered a Glock 23 pistol loaded with 11 rounds of ammunition inside a backpack belonging to Murphy. He did not have a concealed weapons permit. That is a third-degree felony in Florida, and carries a maximum prison sentence of up to five years and a fine of up to $5,000. He was released on $2,000 bond, and I have not seen an update since. His roster chances likely aren’t great, but if he were to make the roster, this arrest could potentially lead to some kind of personal conduct discipline. Just something to keep on the radar.