Overview
- San Francisco signed Brandin Cooks to its practice squad on Wednesday to bolster a receiver room depleted by recent injuries.
- The move responds to several lost or short-term sidelined receivers, including season-ending surgery for Ricky Pearsall and injuries to De'Zhaun Stribling and Demarcus Robinson.
- General manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan both said they do not expect an immediate Week 3 activation and that Cooks needs practice time to prove he can be one of the five game-day elevations.
- Cooks praised quarterback Brock Purdy after joining the team and noted his childhood ties to the Bay Area, giving a small morale boost beyond his on-field experience.
- Cooks brings 12-plus NFL seasons and nearly 10,000 career receiving yards, and the practice-squad signing gives the 49ers short-term insurance with a possible elevation in the coming weeks if he adapts quickly.