The San Francisco 49ers made a curious move Tuesday at final roster cuts.
Among the 13 veterans released at Tuesday’s deadline was punter Thomas Morstead. The move leaves the 49ers’ initial 53-man roster without a punter.
On the surface it’s strange. The 49ers released Mitch Wishnowsky this offseason after he missed the final eight games last year with a back issue. They signed Morstead, a 39-year-old who spent the last two years with the New York Jets under 49ers new special teams coordinator Brant Boyer, after to replace him. It was never really a question that Morstead would be the 49ers’ punter in 2025.
So why did they cut him?
The answer comes down to roster mechanics and minutiae.
Teams are allowed to designate two (2) players for return from IR without those players making the initial 53-man roster. However, doing so automatically counts against the team’s maximum eight (8) return designations for the season. They are confident defensive tackle Kevin Givens will return from a pectoral injury he suffered early in training camp, so they gave him one of their designations at final cuts.
Leaving the rest of the potential IR placements for after final cuts gives the 49ers more flexibility.
It appears wide receiver Jacob Cowing is heading to IR after suffering a bad hamstring injury leading up to the 49ers’ preseason finale. Head coach Kyle Shanahan indicated it would be at least six weeks before Cowing returns. Instead of giving him a designation right away, the 49ers put him on the roster where they can now place him on IR and withhold a return designation until if/when he’s ready to play again. There’s a chance if he goes on IR that he stays there for the year, so the 49ers didn’t want to waste one of their eight designations on him at final cuts.
Cowing is an easy example because he’s clearly going to be out for a period of time that would typically require an IR stint. There could be a couple other players on their way to the injured list in the couple of days after final cuts as the team tweaks its roster for the season opener.
Since Morstead is a long-time NFL veteran he isn’t subject to waivers. His release means he’s an unrestricted free agent who can simply re-sign with San Francisco once they have a roster spot open.
Assuming Cowing is the player he replaces, the 49ers can place Cowing on IR and sign Morstead in the same roster move.
It’s strange seeing a team purposely cut the only punter on its roster. For the 49ers it makes a ton of sense and affords them some wiggle room with how they disperse IR designations while also ensuring they can re-sign Morstead once a roster spot clears.
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Explaining the 49ers strange decision on their final roster cuts
Reporting by Kyle Madson, Niners Wire / Niners Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
