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When the San Francisco 49ers officially released their initial 53-man roster, fans were met with more than a few interesting takeaways regarding their favorite team.
For one thing, Jon Feliciano made the initial 53-man roster, which was very much up in the air considering his injury history, and after watching Brandon Aiyuk's situation play out, the 49ers decided to keep extra talent on the outside just in case he isn't on the field for Week 1 with 2024 fourth-round pick Jacob Cowing and Chris Conley taking the fifth and sixth spots on the depth chart.
Now granted, the roster is still up in the air, as just one day later, Feliciano is on the IR, Eric Saubert, Ben Bartch, and Rock Ya-Sin all re-signed with the 49ers, and the 49ers signed Terrace Marshall to join a seven-man wide receiver room.
But one player who won't be back is Cameron Latu, the 49ers' third-round pick out of Alabama in 2023, who has opted to sign with the Cleveland Browns practice squad after being released.
Asked about the decision to move on from Latu so early in his career during his media session, general manager John Lynch broke down the decision, which came down to more than just his injury history.
“Cam did a great job. Had two knee surgeries in his time here but couldn't have asked for anything more in terms of his work ethic. I think we just kind of, you fall into some good players.
“[TE Eric] Saubert is a guy that we went out and got in free agency, really has been a nice find for us both at tight end and at special teams; [TE] Jake Tonges has been really, I'd say, a surprise and played really well; [TE] Brayden Willis was a tough cut, but he's back on our practice squad. I think there was just tough competition,” Lynch told reporters.
“Cam can do a lot of good things. I saw he landed on, I believe, Cleveland's practice squad. I'm excited for him and his opportunities. The thing everyone liked about Cam coming in is he could do a little bit of everything. And it takes, I always tell players, it took me until my third year to start in this league, and things went pretty well.
“It happens at different times for different players. You want to be able to hold on, but when you've got a roster, sometimes you have to make tough decisions. And that was certainly a tough one because Cam gave us everything he had.”
Originally drafted a round or two higher than many fans expected, Latu spent his entire rookie season on IR after tearing his meniscus during the preseason.
While fans hoped he would return to his Alabama form after doctors surgically repaired his injury, he apparently didn't do enough to win a roster spot on the 49ers while competing with the likes of Saubert, Tonges, and Willis for the spots behind George Kittle. Best of luck in Cleveland, Latu, as your run in San Francisco just didn't work out.
John Lynch explains the 49ers' decision to claim Terrace Marshall
Elsewhere in his media session, John Lynch commented on the decision to bring in Marshall after his tenure with the Carolina Panthers came to an end earlier in the week.
While the 49ers are loaded at the position, bringing in Marshall made plenty of sense for Lynch, as he believes the former LSU receiver could shine in John Lynch's offense.
“That's just a good football player we were very fortunate to get in the building. I don't know what went on in Carolina. I know that I got on the phone with Terrace, along with [wide receivers coach] Leonard Hankerson and Kyle, and just told him about the way we do things, what we thought of him coming out of college, and that this could be a great landing spot for him.
“He's going to have to earn everything, but it's a fun place for receivers to come and thrive. Whatever your best is, I think you'll find it here. We're excited for that opportunity, excited for our practice squad.
“It's tough to lose players. [Los Angeles Rams RB Cody] Schrader, man, I love that kid and everything he represented, the way he attacked it. [Indianapolis Colts CB] Sammy Womack [III] had a really good offseason, was proud of him. I think we're deeper than we've been at corner. And so, those are tough decisions that you have to make.
“One more, [Carolina Panthers OL] Jarrett Kingston. Jarrett was doing some really good things. You can't keep everyone. Really proud of this rookie draft class. There's been some injuries, but I think we're getting healthy, and we've got the right type of people, the right type of players, that are fits here. They're going to help us a lot.
“So a lot to be happy with, with our roster. We'll continue to work to get it complete and can't wait for Levi's to be rocking here. And what are we, 10 days out, nine days out? It's coming.”
Why didn't Marshall work out in Carolina? It's hard to say, as nothing much has really worked for the Panthers over the past few years, premier draft picks included. Considering all of Marshall's talents as a receiver, if he was going to have to start fresh, there aren't many better places to do it than on this particular 49ers team, especially considering Aiyuk's up-in-the-air status.
