Niners Nation
49ers may be the new NFL home for former NAIA cornerback Dallis Flowers (paywall)
“As a rookie, the especially athletic 6-foot-1 cornerback made his money on special teams. His 31.1 yards per kick return average led the NFL. Keisean Nixon, a first-team AP All-Pro kick returner that season, ranked second (28.8). Flowers, with a 78-inch wingspan, ran a 4.40 40 and posted a 10-foot-11-inch broad jump at his pro day.
His coachability helped. Everyone loves a coachable underdog. “Like my mom and dad always told me growing up, you got two ears and one mouth,” Flowers said. “You should listen twice as much as you talk.”
Bradley saw something in Flowers. Still does. Since training camp began, Flowers has flashed enough athleticism to receive a steady dose of second-team reps. He also received countless snaps with the first team when a bum hamstring sidelined Green for multiple weeks. Darrell Luter Jr. and Tre Brown, who has missed a string of practices with a heel injury, make up his competition.
Saleh said since the start of camp the CB3 job was up for grabs.
An NAIA no-name could be the guy. And he knows it.
“I know I can play ball,” Flowers said. “I’m not here for no reason, you know what I’m saying? I’m an NAIA product. People don’t even know what NAIA is.”
The 49ers need wide receiver help. Here are 31 options, from most likely to least (paywall)
“New offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak likes Valdes-Scantling, with whom he also worked in New Orleans. The question is whether the 30-year-old veteran will be happy with a backup role in the Seahawks’ receiving corps. If not, Seattle could release him, making him a candidate in San Francisco. Valdez-Scantling still has deep speed, as shown by his 22.6-yard receiving average last season, and he’d be able to quickly step into the 49ers’ offensive system given his background with Kubiak. Other Seahawks who could be available include Dareke Young and perhaps special teams ace Jake Bobo.”
Kawakami: The 49ers’ roster jigsaw puzzle — all these injuries, all these decisions (paywall)
“But I don’t subscribe to it. The 49ers are at the higher end of practice aggressiveness, but it’s not like their workouts are outrageous. Compared to 10 or 15 years ago, they’re mostly pretty tame. Compared to other teams I’ve watched, the 49ers’ practices are very much in the same range.
My personal theory, while noting that most injuries in this violent game are random, is that the 49ers of this era have been a little too eager to add players with recent injury histories and a little too dismissive of some veterans who aren’t flashy but habitually stay healthier than most.
But it’s impossible to avoid injury waves altogether. You could do everything perfectly and still limp through camp and barely get to the regular season with 53 healthy players. The 49ers have not done everything perfectly. But they’ve got plenty of experience with these kinds of injury/roster puzzles, so...
