The San Francisco 49ers made a couple of roster moves on Saturday ahead of their NFC Divisional Round matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, elevating defensive tackle Sebastian Valdez and offensive tackle Brandon Parker for the game.
Those two elevations are notable, not necessarily because of the positions that San Francisco is adding at, but moreso because of where they aren’t adding. Heading into Saturday, the 49ers had two linebackers, Dee Winters and Luke Gifford, questionable with ankle and quad injuries, respectively.
Both players missed last week’s win over the Philadelphia Eagles, prompting the 49ers to start Eric Kendricks and Garrett Wallow at linebacker. With San Francisco not elevating a linebacker, it seems that at least one, if not both of Winters and Gifford, are trending towards suiting up this week. Winters was limited all week, while Gifford posted two DNPs on Tuesday and Wednesday and a limited practice on Thursday.
Elsewhere, the 49ers also ruled out wide receiver Jacob Cowing, who has yet to play in a game this season. Cowing had been a full participant in practice all three days this week, as he continued to recover from his hamstring injury. Cowing was a full participant all week last week, and was ruled out as well.
With the 49ers not needing additional depth at offensive tackle or defensive tackle, it seems like the 49ers’ moves to elevate Valdez and Parker are a bonus to give them a game check for the week. We’ll see if that’s confirmed when inactives come out later today.
For now, though, it seems like at least one of the linebackers and wide receiver Ricky Pearsall is expected to suit up for the 49ers on Saturday against the Seahawks.