49ers sign WR Terique Owens to the practice squad
Could this spell the end of the road for a former 7th-rounder?
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo and Aaron Wilson both reported that the San Francisco 49ers are bringing Terique Owens back to their practice squad, per his agent, Alex B. of Disruptive Sports.
The 49ers released defensive tackle Shakel Brown on Tuesday, leaving two open spots on their practice squad. Owens, who sustained a hand injury during training camp that sidelined him, will take one of those spots.
When it comes to the practice squad, the 49ers are thinking long-term and big picture at wide receiver. Owens gives them a developmental prospect with a high upside. During training camp, Owens was inconsistent with his catching technique but had plenty of speed to burn and caught a few passes deep after getting behind the defense.
I wonder if this means the end of the road for Ronnie Bell. If not, Chris Conley is a free agent after this year and will be 33. Owens and Terrace Marshall are likely to sign future deals this offseason and compete for the final WR6 spot on the roster heading into 2025.
After a 2-2 start to the season, the 49ers are still favored to make the playoffs, but their current spot in NFC seeding might surprise you.
Typically, it takes at least four weeks to get an idea of how the NFL will shake out. Bad teams are typically, well… bad. And they’ll reveal as much at the first-quarter milepost marker of the season.
Meanwhile, there are usually surprises each year. Case in point, the undefeated Minnesota Vikings have shocked the league, as quarterback Sam Darnold has found some mojo and is hovering around the top of quarterbacking leaderboards amid the Norsemen’s shocking ascent to the top of the NFC.
Then, there are the middling teams, including the 2-2 San Francisco 49ers, who were consensus favorites to make it back to the conference title game and likely represent the NFC in the Super Bowl again this year.
Luckily, the regular season doesn’t end after four weeks. If it did, the Niners wouldn’t be competing in postseason play.
NFC playoff picture after 4 weeks: 49ers missing the cut
San Francisco’s Week 3 road loss to the Los Angeles Rams was brutal. Had the 49ers held on in the fourth quarter, they’d be at least in the thick of the Wild Card race within the conference’s playoff picture.
Through four weeks, the Niners are on the outside, looking in:
