The San Francisco 49ers cut Eli Apple before Week 1, removing the veteran cornerback from the roster after a stretch that had already seen him move on and off the team. Apple, the No. 10 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, is 31 years old and is now back on the market after another quick exit from San Francisco.
He is the name people are searching now because this is not a clean offseason release. Apple first joined the San Francisco 49ers in August of 2025, failed to make the opening 53-man roster, then signed with the practice squad later in August before the regular season. From there, he bounced between the practice squad and the active roster several times during the 2025 season, and he played in two games last season.
That history gives the cut more weight than a routine transaction. Apple was part of a secondary that still had room for bodies, even if the top end was spoken for by Deommodore Lenoir, Renardo Green and Upton Stout. The 49ers still had Nate Hobbs and Jack Jones in the equation, and the group was not exactly settled. That is why Apple’s release lands as a real roster choice, not just housekeeping.
It also leaves an obvious question hanging over the move. Renardo Green and Ephesians Prysock were nursing injuries, which makes the cornerback room crowded but uncertain at the same time. Cutting Apple now suggests the 49ers were willing to live with that uncertainty rather than keep a veteran around by default. It would not be a surprise if he is brought back in a similar capacity later, but for now he is out, and San Francisco is betting it can sort the cornerback picture without him.
