49ers place Kwon Alexander on injured reserve, promote Elijah Lee

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The 49ers on Tuesday promoted linebacker Elijah Lee to the active roster to take the roster spot vacated with Kwon Alexander going on injured reserve.

The 49ers also opened the practice window for tight end Garrett Celek, who remains on the reserve/physically unable to perform list after undergoing offseason back surgery. The 49ers have three weeks to decide whether to activate Celek or keep him on PUP for the remainder of the season.

Lee moves onto the 49ers' 53-man roster after Alexander tore his pectoral muscle in the 49ers' 28-25 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday. Rookie Dre Greenlaw is expected to step into Alexander's starting role, while Lee becomes a backup and special-teams contributor.

Lee (6-foot-2, 229 pounds) appeared in 30 games with five starts over the previous two seasons with the 49ers. He registered 62 tackles, two passes defensed, one sack and one forced fumble.

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The 49ers also signed linebacker Christian Sam (Arizona State) to the practice squad to fill the vacancy created when Lee was promoted. Sam (6-2, 240) originally was drafted by the New England Patriots in the sixth round (178th overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft. He spent his rookie season on injured reserve and was waived by the Patriots before the start of the regular season. He spent one week on the Miami Dolphins' practice squad earlier this season.

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