The 49ers will go into the playoffs without the player they expected to be their big-play wide receiver. Braylon Edwards, who was a healthy scratch for the team's Monday Night Football game against Pittsburgh earlier this month, was released today, the receiver announced on Twitter. The team confirmed the release this morning.
"I was released today by the 49ers due to my injury that required more time to rehab and hasn't allowed me to re-sync with the offense," Edwards wrote. "I wish the 49ers organization the best of luck during the Playoffs. I will be working hard this off season to strengthen my knee and prepare for the 2012 season. Thanks for your continued support and for being such loyal fans."
Edwards, who signed a one-year deal in August, tore the meniscus in his knee in Week 2 and suffered a shoulder injury in Week 9. However, Jim Harbaugh cited Edwards' practice habits when asked why Edwards didn't play against Pittsburgh. Edwards had requested to take a week off in Week 13 to further rehabilitate his knee. Edwards had only 15 catches this season, zero touchdowns and a noticable lack of chemistry with quarterback Alex Smith.
The team has not yet replaced Edwards on the 53-man roster and may not do so until the end of the week, according to sources. One possibility is tight end Konrad Reuland, who is a member of the practice squad. Another tight end, Delanie Walker, suffered a jaw injury Saturday and will miss several weeks. The 49ers are not yet sure whether Walker can return in time to help them in the playoffs.
The 49ers also are short at wide receiver. They now have four wideouts on the active roster -- Michael Crabtree, Ted Ginn, Kyle Williams and Brett Swain -- but two of them, Ginn and Williams, are currently injured with a sprained ankle and concussion respectively. Edwards' release, however, likely is a sign that one or both will be ready for the team's finale on Sunday. The 49ers lost another receiver, Joshua Morgan, for the season when he broke his leg on Oct. 9.
If the 49ers sign a receiver, practice squad wideout Joe Hastings is perhaps the top candidate. If Edwards' release was a message to the rest of the locker room that a brooding, under-producing player won't be tolerated, Hastings' promotion would send the opposite signal. The 49ers have been impressed with the rookie's pluck, and he has been the team's 'practice-squad player of the week' several times this season.
Veterans Chris Chambers and Brian Finneran worked out for the 49ers earlier this year and are possibilities. So is veteran Derrick Mason, who played for Harbaugh's brother, John, in Baltimore and in whom the 49ers showed interest this summer.
When training camp began, Crabtree still was recovering from a broken foot and the 49ers pursued a top-flight wideout in free agency. Their first choice, Plaxico Burress, signed with the Jets, leaving Edwards as the next option. He averaged more than 17 yards per catch last year as a member of the Jets, and he showed promise in preseason for the 49ers. But on the first drive of a Week 2 loss to the Cowboys, Edwards suffered a meniscus tear. He returned on Oct. 30 but was not able to push past the injury.
Edwards' frustration in recent weeks has been noticeable to the point where tight end Vernon Davis reached out to him last week, via Twitter. "Just the look on his face is he wants to be out there bad," Davis said. "But I don't know the reason he's not. That's up to the coaches and him and Ferg (head trainer Jeff Ferguson) and the trainers."
After Edwards didn't play against Pittsburgh, Harbaugh made it sound as if Edwards was held out because his effort was lacking. Asked why other receivers were active against Pittsburgh and Edwards was not, Harbaugh said it was "just based on the practices and the games."
After sitting out the St. Louis Rams game, Edwards returned the following week against the Arizona Cardinals but was ineffective. He played only a handful of snaps, and the timing between him and Smith obviously was off on the two incomplete passes thrown in Edwards' direction.
After the game, Edwards did not appear happy about his playing time. Approached by reporters, he directed them to the team's other receivers. "Talk to them," he said. "They played. I didn't."
-- Matt Barrows
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