San Francisco 49ers coach confident Jalen Hurd can make final roster

San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan addressed the future of converted wide receiver Jalen Hurd, expressing confidence in his roster spot. Hurd is entering his third NFL season after spending time at Tennessee and Baylor in college. The former college running back has not played in the NFL, spending both seasons on the injured reserve list.

After a torn ACL and stress fracture in his back, Hurd has dealt with knee tendonitis throughout camp.

Making the 53-man roster

The 49ers have expressed multiple times that they are looking to carry six wide receivers in the regular season. They currently have nine receivers on the roster, including Jalen Hurd. The other candidates are Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Mohamed Sanu, Trent Sherfield, Nsimba Webster, Jauan Jennings, Richie James and Travis Benjamin.

“I’ve seen Jalen when he’s gone,” Shanahan said, via David Bonilla of 49erswebzone.com. “I know he’s one of our top-six receivers, so that’s not an issue. That’s how Dee Ford was last year. That’s how [Jaquiski] Tartt is. We know they’re one of our top guys at those positions, but it’s such a scary thing and hard decision for the 53. And we have other guys there after those guys who are good and who could make this team and really help us.”

As Shanahan points out, he is no stranger to making roster decisions without seeing the player in the preseason. The 49ers have shown no rush to bring back injured players before the roster cut deadline, confident they can evaluate value based on past performances without risking further injury.

“You’ve got to make sure guys are healthy enough to play through the year,” Shanahan said, “That they don’t just get to week one and only last a quarter-and-a-half, and then they’ve got another injury, and you’re wishing you had another guy there, but he didn’t make the 53 because of that. I mean, there’s no right or wrong answer. That’s just the challenge of it, and you try to get as much information as you can. Usually, if they can make it through a whole camp, they can make it through the season. But obviously, [players like Hurd] weren’t in a situation where they could do that. That’s the dilemma with going into camp hurt, and that’s the stress of it for everybody; coaches, players, the 53-man roster. That’s just part of it.”

More comments about Jalen Hurd

Earlier this week, 49ers general managers John Lynch weighed in on the wide receiver battle and Jalen Hurd’s future with the franchise.

“We’re excited about him. I mean, we’re holding on,” Lynch said, via 49ersWebZone.com. “He hasn’t played in the first couple of years, but for good reason. He’s had legitimate injuries. But he’s been out there. We’ve had two really hard practices. And he’s done a great job in them. And it would be a really good thing for our team if he could be out there. So we’re pulling for him, and he’s put in the work, and hopefully he’s there, because he makes us a better team, if he is.”