The 49ers on Monday hosted a slew of receivers and defensive backs for workouts as they prepare to take off for the bye week.
Injuries at receiver and in the secondary have left San Francisco scraping the bottom of their roster for depth, so it stands to reason they may want to add a veteran or two to their practice squad to help bolster the in-house depth.
Here’s a quick rundown of the seven players they had in for tryouts:
DB Benjie Franklin
Franklin wasn’t selected in this year’s and signed as an undrafted free agent with the Jaguars. He spent the offseason in Jacksonville before being released. The Packers added him to their practice squad shortly after the Jags let him go. Franklin in three seasons at Tarleton State posted 103 tackles, eight interceptions and 27 pass breakups in 29 games.
WR Adam Humphries
Humphries carved out a nice NFL career after making his debut as an undrafted free agent in 2015. He spent four years in Tampa Bay, two in Tennessee and one in Washington. Across those four destinations he played in 96 games and posted 320 catches for 3,314 yards and 13 touchdowns.
WR Austin Mack
This is a familiar face for 49ers fans dialed into the offseason roster and practice squad. Mack spent the last part of last season on San Francisco’s practice squad, then was with them virtually all offseason before going on IR and getting released in late August. His experience with the club could help his case for snagging a practice squad spot.
DB Iman Marshall
Marshall has had a tough go since being taken by the Ravens in the fourth round of the 2019 draft. He played in three games as a rookie, then tore his ACL in mid-August of the following season. Then he did it again a year to the day off his first ACL tear. The Ravens released him prior to training camp.
DB Troy Pride
Pride’s career has mirrored Marshall’s in a lot of ways. He was a fourth-round pick from Notre Dame in 2020 and started eight of the 14 games he played. He posted 42 tackles and a tackle for loss before a hip injury ended his season. The following preseason he sustained a season-ending knee injury, and then got released in May of this year after failing a physical.
WR Mohamed Sanu
Sure. Why not? He spent parts of 2020 and 2021 with the 49ers. The 10-year veteran is by far the most experienced player San Francisco worked out. He’s the type of receiver who could come in and effectively work as an on-field coach for the receiving corps given his knowledge of the league and Kyle Shanahan’s offense.
WR Tajae Sharpe
Sharpe had a really nice rookie year for the Titans as a fifth-round pick in 2016. He put up 41 catches for 522 yards and two touchdowns. Unfortunately he never built on those numbers and in 50 games in the four years since he has just 76 receptions for 875 yards and six touchdowns. Sharpe was with the Titans for three years, spent one catch-less year in Minnesota and then was with Atlanta last season.
