SANTA CLARA -- Coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed Thursday that the 49ers seriously pursued the possibility of re-signing veteran safety Eric Reid.
“Oh, yeah, definitely,” Shanahan said in an interview for "49ers Game Plan," which will air Saturday night on NBC Bay Area at 8. “E-Reid was definitely someone we were interested in.”
Reid, who played five seasons with the 49ers before becoming a free agent at the end of last season, signed a one-year contract Thursday with the Carolina Panthers after the team placed starting safety Da’Norris Searcy on injured reserve this week.
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“We had to look into a number of safeties this week because our guys are banged up,” Shanahan said. “It’s tough when your guys are banged up and questionable for a game. It’s also why we had a hard time bringing in a third quarterback this week because you’re only allowed 53 guys on a roster.”
Starting strong safety Jaquiski Tartt (shoulder) did not practice Thursday, and free safety Adrian Colbert (hip) was limited.
The only move the 49ers made on their 53-man roster this week was the promotion of quarterback Nick Mullens from the practice squad to fill the roster spot created with Jimmy Garoppolo going on injured reserve. The 49ers re-signed safety Dexter McCoil to the practice squad.
“I think it was a little easier for the Panthers [to sign Reid] because they had to put a safety on IR,” Shanahan said. “And when you put a safety on IR, there’s a position open, which allows you to pay more money to someone. Our situation right now, our guys are still questionable whether they’re going to play, so there isn’t a spot open.”
San Francisco 49ers
Any move the 49ers would have made to add a safety at this point in the season would have been to fill a temporary need for a starter. Both Tartt and Colbert are expected to return to the starting lineup soon.
Reid signed a one-year deal with the Panthers for a $1 million base salary that could be worth a maximum of $1.9 million through incentives for playing time and Pro Bowl, along with per-game roster bonuses, NFL Network reported.
“You can’t allow that much money to go through someone until you know for sure someone’s down and they’re playing for you the rest of the year,” Shanahan said.