With the 75-player roster limit looming, the San Francisco 49ers cut 12 players and made a couple other roster moves Monday. Headlining the list of moves was the waving of sixth-round draft pick Jason Slowey out of Western Oregon. The following players were also waived to meet the league-mandated maximum: FB Cameron Bell, OLB Kourtnei Brown, DT Patrick Butrym, WR Ben Hannula, WR Joe Hastings, DT Matthew Masifilo, CB Cory Nelms, CB Deante' Purvis, TE Joe Sawyer, K Giorgio Tavecchio, WR Brian Tyms.
In this first round of cuts, teams typically cut undrafted free agents and other players who have little chance at eventually making the 53-man roster. Despite getting drafted during the 2012 NFL Draft, Slowey, a small school offensive lineman who was being converted to potentially serve as a backup center, could not survive these first round of cuts. Missing some practices due to a leg injury and seeing limited time in the team's first three exhibition games, he was released before other fringe offensive linemen like Al Netter, Chase Beeler, Derek Hall, and Kenny Wiggins.
Aside from the 12 players waived, the 49ers also moved two players to lists that will not make them count against the 49ers active roster count. With RB Jewel Hampton moved to the Reserve/Non-Football Injury List and LB Darius Fleming moved to the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform List, both players will not be eligible to practice with the team until after Week 6 of the regular season.
For Slowey, his release was unfortunate. A potential offensive line project for the 49ers, he never had the chance to fully showcase his abilities due to his injury. Adding Leonard Davis, Daniel Kilgore, Joe Looney, and Mike Person to the mix as players likely securing backup spots, it was a tough climb ahead this preseason for Slowey.
As for other names of note released Monday, Hastings also sees his time with the team done after not getting a chance to practice or play in a preseason game this year due to a hamstring injury. A practice squad player last season, he was eventually promoted to the 53-man roster near the end of last season. Another waived player familiar with the 49ers practice squad is Nelms, an undrafted free agent out of Miami last season who spent his entire rookie year there.
With the next roster deadline happening before the end of the month, the 49ers will still need to cut plenty more players before it's all said and done. Given how deep the roster is this season, the 49ers will have plenty of tough cuts to make before reaching the final 53 players. For Slowey, Hastings, Nelms, and others waived Monday, there time with the 49ers has simply ended earlier than if they were a part of the second wave of roster moves.
Source:
49ers make cuts to 75-player limit, CSN Bay Area
More from this contributor:
Jim Harbaugh Defends 49ers Rookie A.J. Jenkins from Media Critics: Fan's Take
Jim Harbaugh Says San Francisco 49ers Have Five No. 1 Receivers: Fan's Take
San Francisco 49ers Are Super Bowl XLVII Favorite in Las Vegas: Fan's Take
San Francisco 49ers CEO Jed York Hopes Kyle Williams Has Breakout Season: Fan's Take
San Francisco 49ers' Dashon Goldson Gets No Long-Term Deal: Fan's Reaction
Austin Chang is a lifelong football fan, San Francisco 49ers supporter, and a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Follow this contributor on Google+ and Twitter @_austinchang.
