The 49ers on Saturday elevated center Hroniss Grasu and cornerback Dontae Johnson from the practice squad to the active roster when they placed wide receiver Deebo Samuel on Injured Reserve. The Grasu and Johnson promotions don’t correspond with Samuel’s move to IR though due to new practice squad and roster rules.
Under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, teams are allowed to elevate two practice squad players to the active roster. They can be moved up twice without being subject to waivers when they go back to the practice squad. Teams on game days will be allowed a maximum of 55 players on the active roster, although it’ll still be 46 players suiting up.
Grasu will act as insurance on the offensive line in case Ben Garland can’t play through an ankle injury that kept him limited in practice all week. Johnson has a chance of being among the 46 active players with cornerback Jason Verrett ruled out with a hamstring injury.
Both Grasu and Johnson were among the team’s four “protected” players for the first week. By going to the active roster they will revert back to the practice squad after the game, and they’ll be eligible to sign an NFL contract with any team starting Monday at 1:01pm Pacific Time.
Unless Grasu or Johnson plays and plays well, chances are the 49ers won’t have a problem keeping them on the practice squad beyond this week. Unless San Francisco adds a player to their 53-man roster, they’ll be working with 52 until Samuel is activated off IR.
