The San Francisco 49ers on Wednesday announced an initial group of players for their 2025 practice squad roster.
All of the players announced initially spent at least part of training camp in San Francisco, and while they’re not on the active roster, they could all contribute this year so getting to know the practice squad is a worthwhile exercise.
There are handful of other players expected to join the practice squad that have not been announced yet, including running back Sincere McCormick and quarterback Adrian Martinez. We’ll include them in this list as well even though the signings are not official.
Here’s a little something on each player on the 49ers’ practice squad:
QB Adrian Martinez
Martinez joined the NFL in 2023 as an undrafted free agent with the Detroit Lions. He went on to join the UFL’s Birmingham Stallions where he was the MVP of the 2023 season and the league’s championship game. He spent last season on the New York Jets’ practice squad.
RB Sincere McCormick
There should be some optimism about McCormick to potentially make an impact if he gets called up to the 49ers’ active roster. He was an undrafted rookie with the Las Vegas Raiders last season who spent most of the year on the practice squad. When he did get promoted to the active roster he averaged 4.7 yards per carry on 39 attempts across five games.
WR Junior Bergen
The 49ers selected Bergen in the seventh round of this year’s draft. He’s a return specialist who could play a role on San Francisco’s special teams unit if they continue having issues keeping wide receivers healthy. Bergen returned eight punts for touchdowns in college, but he struggled some in the return game in the preseason.
WR Robbie Chosen
There’s a chance Chosen is on the roster for Week 1. The veteran put together a good enough preseason showing to land a practice squad role and veterans who have been productive in the NFL are going to likely make up a large swath of the 49ers’ receiving corps until they’re healthy and Demarcus Robinson returns from suspension.
WR Malik Turner
This is an interesting choice for the 49ers. Turner has been with them in multiple pre-seasons and he played three games with them in 2022. His primary NFL contributions have come on special teams, which could make him valuable on that overhauled unit. Across 44 career games, Turner has played 555 special teams snaps and 413 offensive snaps. In his three-game stint with San Francisco he only saw action for one play on offense.
TE Brayden Willis
It wasn’t a huge surprise the 49ers let Willis go given the number crunch at some other positions. He’s flashed some upside as a receiver, but his consistency as a blocker is still keeping him from holding down a regular roster spot. Don’t be surprised if he winds up on the active roster at some point this season.
OL Drake Nugent
Nugent was an undrafted rookie last year who gives San Francisco some internal depth at center. According to Pro Football Focus, Nugent allowed one sack and four pressures in 59 pass blocking snaps this preseason.
OL Nick Zakelj
The writing was on the wall for Zakelj in the preseason when rookie seventh-round pick Connor Colby started getting first-team reps ahead of him. There’s still a chance Zakelj carves out a role as a reserve interior lineman, but it’s clear the development is coming along as quickly as the team would like.
DL William Bradley-King
Washington selected Bradley-King in the seventh round of the 2021 draft. Across two seasons in Washington he played four games and recorded 0.5 sacks. He hasn’t played in a regular season game since the 2022 season. He flashed a handful of times in the preseason and gives San Francisco some internal defensive end depth.
DL Trevis Gipson
Speaking of internal DE depth, Gipson had an impressive eight pressures, one sack, two tackles and three run stops per PFF. His preseason finale against the Los Angeles Chargers alone might have been enough to land him a practice squad spot. With question marks at DE, Gipson could have an inside track to playing time at some point this season.
DL Sebastian Valdez
It wasn’t a shock when Valdez was waived, but it was a minor surprise. The undrafted rookie had an impressive training camp and preseason at a defensive tackle spot where the 49ers don’t have a lot of quality depth. He cleared waivers and made it back to San Francisco where he could play a role in their defensive line rotation sooner than later.
LB Jalen Graham
There was a ton of optimism around Graham when the 49ers selected him in the seventh round of the 2023 draft. He’s yet to find his footing as a linebacker, but Robert Saleh’s return as the defensive coordinator could help his development.
LB Curtis Robinson
Robinson’s pick-six in the preseason finale vs. the Chargers might’ve been the highlight of the exhibition slate. It’s a bit of a surprise he was let go and he should wind up playing snaps on special teams for the 49ers this year.
CB Eli Apple
No idea. It looked like Dallis Flowers would be on his way back to the practice squad, but the 49ers landed instead on Apple who spent a brief time with them in training camp. The former No. 10 overall pick has played in 102 games with six teams across his nine NFL seasons.
S Derrick Canteen
Canteen was a fun player to watch in the preseason. The undrafted rookie from Cincinnati recorded 11 tackles in three preseason games and was not credited with a single missed tackle. Keep an eye on Canteen as a potential developmental project at a position with a ton of immediate and long-term question marks for the 49ers.
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers practice squad: Something on each player from initial roster