49ers block four veteran practice squad players from signing to another squad

The NFL allows teams to protect four players from their 16-player practice squad every Tuesday of the season. The San Francisco 49ers have protected veteran wide receiver Kevin White, defenseman Dion Jordan, cornerback Dontae Johnson and center Hroniss Grasu. We’ll know more about Ben Garland’s injury once the initial injury report comes out on Wednesday, but he’s yet to train, and it’s been almost a month since Garland got dressed. After the team made a bit more reshuffle with their roster as injuries increased, Grasu was de facto the starting center. If there was a game today, Grassu would probably start. The closer we get to Sunday, the more Grasu’s departure becomes a reality.

The lack of help / depth at the edge makes it clear why the team protected Jordan. I’d love to hear the reason from Johnson, who hasn’t done much in training but “knows the defense.”

I wonder if the offensive staff are going to turn White into their “draft” and prepare it. He’s tall, fast, and strong. Health has been an issue throughout White’s career, but the 49ers will be skinny in the future, so it would make sense to develop talent like White. I’ll be curious to see if he’s called up at some point in the season and who else the team is protecting each week.