49ers release five players to meet the 80-man roster deadline

The 49ers had until 1 p.m. PT on Tuesday to get down to 80 players on their roster. The team didn’t announce any moves at the deadline, however. With Mychal Kendricks and Maurice Hurst both expected to miss a month, the Niners would have to get creative.

Players placed on the injured reserve before September 1 cannot return during the regular season. However, with how impressive Hurst has been during the preseason, it was unlikely San Francisco would place him on the injured reserve.

Cuts will be tricky for the Niners as they have depth issues at offensive tackle and along the defensive line with a few guys banged up at those positions.

NBC Sports’ Matt Maiocco said the 49ers were placing Kendricks on the IR with turf toe. That effectively ends Kendricks’ seasons before it started.

Here are the roster moves to get down to 80 players:

Released:

DL Shilique Calhoun

CB BW Webb

Waived:

WR River Cracraft

OT Corbin Kaufusi

With Kendricks going on the IR, that opens the fifth and final roster spot. Alfredo Gutierrez doesn’t count against the roster as he’s part of the International Player Pathway Program.

Hurst remains on the active roster, which means he may be a scratch for the first game or two. That, to me, would signal the 49ers are likely going to keep two quarterbacks.

In addition to the other injuries the Niners are dealing with, that’s the most logical thing to do given the state of the roster.

With cuts going around league-wide, San Francisco could continue to churn the bottom of its roster. If that happens, we’ll be sure to update you.