SANTA CLARA — All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga is eligible to make his 49ers comeback when their season starts Sept. 9.
Yet to practice on his surgically repaired knee, Hufanga was activated off the Physically Unable To Perform list, rather than be forced to miss the first four games on PUP.
Tuesday’s roster moves weren’t as good for running back Elijah Mitchell, who was placed on season-ending Injured Reserve after battling a hamstring issue this month and years of knee injuries.
Defensive tackle Kalia Davis (knee) also went on Injured Reserve but was designated for potential return this season, as is the case with linebacker Dre Greenlaw starting the season on PUP.
Among Tuesday’s cuts were tight ends Eric Saubert, Logan Thomas, Cam Latu, Brayden Willis and Mason Pline, leaving only George Kittle from that crew with roster underdog Jake Tonges, a Los Gatos native and Cal product who joined the 49ers’ practice squad last season.
At quarterback, the 49ers supplied two backups to Brock Purdy, those being Brandon Allen and Josh Dobbs while waiving undrafted rookie Tanner Mordecai.
Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is on the 53-man roster, but with his status cloudy because of a contract staredown, the 49ers kept six other receivers: Deebo Samuel, Jauan Jennings, Chris Conley, Ricky Pearsall, Jacob Cowing and Ronnie Bell.
Left tackle Trent Williams does not count on the roster because he’s been on the Reserve/Did Not Report list since the start of training camp.
As for Hufanga, the 2022 All-Pro gained medical clearance Aug. 15 to ramp up his comeback. He has looked spry in individual conditioning on side fields, but he has remained out of team-related drills and instead observed practices as a vocal leader throughout training camp.
Options to start alongside second-year safety Ji’Ayir Brown are special teams ace George Odum, rookie fourth-round pick Malik Mustapha, and former Detroit Lions starter Tracy Walker III. Odum took the majority of first-team reps and started the first two preseason games before an ankle injury Friday scratched him from the preseason finale at Las Vegas as well as Monday’s practice.
Hufanga sustained his non-contact anterior cruciate ligament tear in the 49ers’ Nov. 19 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Three months ago, Hufanga said his goal was to ease into training camp and “trying to be smart with it. … Being patient is a big part of this process, for sure.”
Here are those released:
OL Ben Bartch
WR Robbie Chosen
OL Chris Hubbard
DL T.Y. McGill Jr.
OL Brandon Parker
TE Eric Saubert
WR Trent Taylor
TE Logan Thomas
S Tracy Walker III
DL Nick Williams
CB Rock Ya-Sin
Those waived:
OL Isaac Alarcon
DL Evan Anderson
DL Alex Barrett
DL Shakel Brown
DL Jonathan Garvin
LB Jalen Graham
WR Danny Gray
OL Sebastian Gutierrez
OL Jarrett Kingston
TE Cameron Latu
CB Chase Lucas
S Jaylen Mahoney
WR Tay Martin
QB Tanner Mordecai
OL Drake Nugent
TE Mason Pline
RB Cody Schrader
TE Brayden Willis
CB Samuel Womack III
