Three of Jason Verett’s previous four seasons with the 49ers ended with him going to injured reserve.
Now, he has officially returned to the club as a member of the practice squad, the 49ers announced.
The 49ers’ expectations for Verrett with the team are open, coach Kyle Shanahan said. First, Shanahan said, Verrett will have to prove himself on the practice field while working against the team’s starting offense.
“When you’re on the practice squad, you’re only a couple games away from being a starter or just being there on game days,” Shanahan said.
He added: “He can show us that he is ready for this moment, and hopefully he will give us some depth once we have the opportunity to see him.”
Verrett, 32, spent a month on the Houston Texans’ practice squad this season. After his release, Verrett participated in a workout with the 49ers on November 16 in Santa Clara.
The 49ers offered him a spot on the practice squad. After considering his future, Verrett late last week agreed to rejoin the 49ers, a source told NBC Sports Bay Area.
Verrett’s return to the 49ers was not related to Charvarius Ward’s hip injury, which sidelined him after just four games on Sunday in the team’s 28-16 win over the Seattle Seahawks.
Verrett attended the game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara and greeted some of his teammates in the locker room afterward.
He could provide the 49ers with a valuable insurance policy behind the team’s top three players: Ward, Demodore Lenoir and Ambry Thomas.
Verrett showed what he can do for the 49ers in 2020, when he started 13 games and played at a consistently high level. He recorded two interceptions.
The 49ers re-signed Verrett to a one-year contract, and he opens the 2021 season as the starter. However, he suffered a season-ending torn ACL in the Detroit Lions’ opener.
He signed another one-year contract last year. Verrett was on track to get back on the field when his 2022 season ended when he tore his Achilles tendon in practice.
Since entering the NFL in 2014 as a first-round pick of the Chargers, Verrett has appeared in just 40 games with 36 starts. In his second year in the league, he played in 14 games and was selected to the Pro Bowl.
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