Let’s catch up on some Friday afternoon transactions, courtesy of the NFL’s waiver wire. The Pittsburgh Steelers claimed wide receiver Colton Dowell, who the San Francisco 49ers recently waived.
The team also tried out three offensive linemen:
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OL Doug Kramer Jr.
OL Joe Michalski
OL Lecitus Smith
This comes after Carver Willis is in the concussion protocol and Brett Toth and Nick Zakelj are out. The Willis absence is puzzling. The team hasn’t announced an injury. Is he…retiring? I’ve seen concussion floating around, but that hasn’t come as official news from the team.
Regardless, these moves suggest the 49ers plan on being short-handed along the interior for longer than they expected.
Kramer Jr. was a sixth-round draft pick out of the 2022 NFL Draft. He played center for the Bears in 2024, but that was sparingly. Kramer Jr., 28, is listed at 6’2″, 299 pounds.
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Michalski was an undrafted free agent out of the 2025 NFL Draft. He’s another center. Listed at 6’3″, 297 pounds, Michalski had above-average shuttle and 3-cone times at Oklahoma State’s Pro Day. He was also a redshirt senior.
The final center was also drafted in the 6th round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Smith started as a rookie for the Cardinals against the three NFC West teams. His worst game that season was against the Niners on the road in Week 11.
The Cardinals released Smith at the end of the 2023 training camp. He ended up bouncing around from there. He was on the Texans and Eagles practice squads in 2023 before making the Patriots roster in 2024. Last season, he started the final game of the season for the Packers.
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