- The 49ers released running back Khalil Herbert on Monday, 15 days after signing him to a one-year deal.
- Christian McCaffrey, Jordan James and Kaelon Black all sat out Sunday’s practice with soreness or injury.
- San Francisco practices with the Chargers in El Segundo on Tuesday and plays them Thursday at SoFi Stadium.
- San Francisco is +1500 to win Super Bowl LXI, the fifth-shortest price on the board.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The San Francisco 49ers released running back Khalil Herbert on Monday, 15 days after signing him and with Christian McCaffrey and two other backs out of practice. The move came a day before the team’s joint practice with the Los Angeles Chargers in El Segundo and three days before it plays them at SoFi Stadium.
A 15-Day Stay In Santa Clara
San Francisco signed Herbert to a one-year deal on Aug. 2 and released him along with offensive lineman Kion Smith on Aug. 17. The same day, the club added defensive lineman Victor Dimukeje and brought back offensive lineman Nick Zakelj on one-year contracts, seven days after releasing Zakelj.
Herbert’s only game action came in the Aug. 13 preseason opener, a 19-13 loss to Tennessee. He carried six times for 18 yards and caught both of his targets for 35 yards.
That is a 3.0-yard average, a sample that decides nothing. Six preseason carries carry no predictive weight, and no roster gets built off a number that small. The decision was about the shape of the running back room, not about Herbert’s afternoon in Santa Clara.
The Running Back Room Is Still Being Counted
The timing is the story. San Francisco cut a healthy veteran while McCaffrey sat out Sunday’s final open practice of camp with soreness, Jordan James sat with a rib injury and Kaelon Black with an adductor issue.
A team genuinely worried about its lead back does not thin the position group in the third week of camp. San Francisco had already signed Zamir White on Aug. 12, and Patrick Taylor Jr. and Sincere McCormick took team reps on Sunday. Herbert caught two passes in that session, then was gone the next day.
The 49ers have listed McCaffrey’s absence as soreness and have not announced an injury.
Two Trips To Los Angeles This Week
The Chargers host San Francisco for a single joint practice on Tuesday at their El Segundo facility, a two-hour session open only to Chargers season ticket members. The teams then meet Thursday at SoFi Stadium at 7 p.m. PDT in the second week of the preseason, and again in Week 15 on Thursday night at the same building.
The week carries its own reunions. Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh spent four seasons coaching the 49ers, and Los Angeles running backs coach Max McCaffrey is Christian McCaffrey’s brother.
Three California Teams On The Super Bowl Board
San Francisco sits fifth on the Super Bowl LXI board at +1500, behind the Los Angeles Rams, Buffalo Bills, Seattle Seahawks and Baltimore Ravens. The Chargers are further back at +1800. None of those prices are posted at a counter inside the state, because there are no legal California sportsbooks, retail or online.
| Team | Odds to win Super Bowl LXI |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles Rams | +475 |
| San Francisco 49ers | +1500 |
| Los Angeles Chargers | +1800 |
A +1500 price implies roughly 6.25% before the book’s margin is stripped out, and the full 32-team board carries far more than 100% in implied probability. Whether the 49ers’ real chance of winning the title beats what +1500 pays is the question that matters, and a move at the back of the running back depth chart does not touch it.
Those prices reach California bettors through offshore futures boards rather than a licensed in-state operator, a standing feature of gambling in California.
San Francisco opens the regular season against the Rams at Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia on Thursday, Sept. 10.