49ers sign former Lions WR, release third-year RB
Second-year wideout Ricky Pearsall surprisingly started camp on the PUP with a hamstring injury that he's been dealing with since minicamp. Then, on Wednesday, 2024 fourth-round pick Jacob Cowing suffered a hamstring injury of his own just before their first training camp session of the year.
Pearsall and Cowing join Brandon Aiyuk, who's recovering from a torn ACL suffered last season, as injured wideouts on San Francisco's roster.
To give quarterback Brock Purdy another weapon to target in practice, the 49ers signed wide receiver Quintez Cephus on Thursday.
Cephus, 27, played collegiately at Wisconsin from 2016-19 before the Detroit Lions took him in the fifth round (No. 166 overall) of the 2020 NFL draft. He spent three seasons in Detroit, catching 37 passes for 568 yards and four touchdowns in 22 games. Since then, he's had short stints with the Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans and Los Angeles Rams, but he hasn't played in a game since 2022.
To make room for Cephus on the roster, San Francisco released running back Israel Abanikanda. The 22-year-old running back played at Pittsburgh from 2020-22, where he earned All-ACC and All-American honors in his final season.
The New York Jets took Abanikanda in the fifth round (No. 143 overall) of the 2023 NFL draft, and he rushed for 70 yards on 3.2 yards per attempt and caught seven passes for an additional 43 yards in six games as a rookie. The 49ers claimed him off waivers in December after the Jets released him, but he never appeared in a game for them.
San Francisco's running back room now includes Christian McCaffrey, Isaac Guerendo, Patrick Taylor Jr., 2025 fifth-round pick Jordan James and undrafted rookie Corey Kiner.
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers sign WR Quintez Cephus, release RB Israel Abanikanda
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