49ers announce practice squad; sign Tyler Kroft and Jordan Willis

The 49ers announced their initial practice squad on Wednesday, which filled 13 of the 16 available spots. Expect the Niners to sign a few more players to the practice squad in the coming days. Most notably, San Francisco was able to retain edge rusher Kemoko Turay after his exceptional preseason.

Longtime 49ers practice squad regular Alex Barrett joins Turay and veteran interior defensive lineman Akeem Spence as the first line of defense if the Niners’ d-line is hit with injuries.

The 49ers can add three more players to the practice squad. The pro scouting department will be busy over the next day or so as they look to add perhaps another cornerback, safety, and perhaps running back. Surprisingly, Dontae Johnson wasn’t on the list. Yet.

Several of the 49ers’ most impressive undrafted free agents this preseason: CB Qwuantrezz Knight, LB Marcelino McCrary-Ball, S Tayler Hawkins, and OL Jason Poe, all agreed to join the team’s practice squad.

Veteran safety Tashaun Gipson is a top candidate to be activated early in the season while the 49ers await Jimmie Ward’s return from injury. Entering his 11th NFL season, Gipson has amassed 132 career starts at safety.

Wide receivers Willie Snead, Malik Turner, and Tay Martin are currently the lone skill-position players on the practice squad, although I would expect a running back to be added following their decision to waive Trey Sermon.

Interior offensive lineman Keaton Sutherland rounds out the practice squad, having spent the past few years bouncing between multiple teams’ practice units. The team can keep Guiterrez as he’s part of the NFL’s International Pathway Program.

The 49ers officially announced they claimed OL Blake Hance off waivers from the Browns. The team also signed tight end Tyler Kroft and edge rusher Jordan Willis to one-year deals. These were corresponding moves after placing safety Jimmie Ward and linebacker Curtis Robinson on the injured reserve list.