TE Nate Byham's tenure with the 49ers is over.
The team announced it waived the 2010 sixth-round pick Thursday as he struggled to return from a torn ACL which kept him out the entire 2011 season.
After practice on Aug. 2, Byham told CBSSports.com his knee had not limited him in practice and the only soreness he felt was in his hamstring.
“[Rehabbing] was a rough process, but I fought through it and the knee feels good,” he said.
Apparently, that wasn't the case. He missed practice the next few days, sat out the preseason game against the Vikings and hasn't practiced in over a week.
With Byham out of the picture at tight end, attention turns to second-year pro Konrad Reuland and DL/TE Demarcus Dobbs. Reuland is No. 3 on the official depth chart and Dobbs is No. 4.
Reuland, who played for coach Jim Harbaugh and OC Greg Roman at Stanford, is a more accomplished receiving threat than Byham, while Dobbs' size and strength ideally makes him a fit to replace what Byham brought to the team as a blocker.
As a rookie in 2010, Byham caught passes in the team's first four games and finished the year with five catches for 27 yards. He started for three seasons at the University of Pittsburgh and was a second-team All-Big East selection following his senior year.
Follow 49ers reporter Kyle Bonagura on Twitter: @CBSSportsNFLSF and @KyleBonagura.
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