The 49ers on Wednesday placed running back Trey Sermon on waivers to create a roster spot for offensive lineman Blake Hance. Their hope was to get Sermon through waivers and re-sign him to their practice squad. Those hopes were dashed Thursday when Sermon was awarded to the Philadelphia Eagles off waivers.
Sermon, a 2021 third-round pick, struggled to get on the field in his rookie season and played just nine games. He was inactive for some of those, but also suffered an ankle injury on special teams. He wound up rushing for just 167 yards and a touchdown on 41 attempts.
This preseason didn’t show enough growth from the second-year back though. Sermon still looked heavy-footed and indecisive in his preseason touches and never had a breakout showing vs. opposing defenses.
It was a mild surprise that he landed on the roster with four other tailbacks, but the club wound up using his roster spot to bolster their offensive line.
Now the 23-year-old will get a change of scenery in Philadelphia with a chance to revive his career.
