49ers Activate Wave of Defensive Backs Off COVID-19 List, Injured Reserve Ahead of Regular-Season Finale at Rams

The 49ers get back four players ahead of Sunday's regular-season finale at Rams.

The 49ers made a flurry of roster moves on Saturday, giving them a jolt on the backend of their defense ahead of Sunday's regular-season finale in Los Angeles at SoFi Stadium.

The 49ers activated cornerback Emmanuel Moseley off injured reserve after missing action since Week 13 when he suffered a high ankle sprain against the Seahawks. Moseley, the 49ers' top outside cornerback, will likely see significant time in coverage against the Rams' standout pass-catcher, Cooper Kupp.

San Francisco also activated three players off the Reserve/COVID-19 list, getting back safety Jimmie Ward, and cornerbacks K’Waun Williams and Dontae Johnson.

After Ward, Williams and Johnson missed practice throughout the week, it's a notable gain to get them all back into the fold with the Rams pass-heavy offense being their task at hand.

The Rams lead the league in yards per play and quarterback Matthew Stafford sits second in passing yards (4,648). Certainly, the 49ers got the best of Stafford in their initial meeting in Week 10 – intercepting him twice – but had San Francisco not had all hands on deck this time around, that would’ve been a spot L.A. could’ve exploited with an already thin cornerback and safety group for the 49ers.

The 49ers still sit with rookie cornerback Deommodore Lenoir on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. With Sunday's round of testing still making it possible for him to test out, San Francisco can get back one more piece to their secondary ahead of kickoff.

The Rams' roster doesn’t have any players on the Reserve/COVID-19 list heading into Sunday, and running back Cam Akers will make his miraculous season debut following a torn Achilles suffered in mid-July.


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Nick Cothrel is the publisher of Ram Digest. Follow Nick and Ram Digest on Twitter @NickCothrel & @RamDigestSI for more Rams coverage.


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Nicholas Cothrel
NICHOLAS COTHREL

Nick Cothrel covers the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated.