Taylor Jr. likes the 49ers’ opportunity after challenging the NFL journey

“The Packers waived him at the end of the following training camp. He quickly worked his way from the practice squad to Green Bay’s 53-man roster. Taylor found a role as one of the Packers’ key special teams contributors.

“The biggest obstacle I overcame to get to this point was the hard work and injuries I suffered in college,” he said. “I hurt my foot in college and got the Lisfranc injury, and when I got out and went undrafted in the NFL, I got released, got a contract and had to go through all that heartache.

“I feel like it all prepared me for where I am today.”

49ers RB Patrick Taylor makes his first career start on Sunday after years of waiting (Paywall)

“Taylor, however, played on several special teams in college and that experience allowed him to play three seasons (2021-23) with the Packers before signing with the 49ers in April. Taylor has played 387 special teams snaps and 366 offensive snaps in his career and praises former Memphis head coach Mike Norvell for his ability to stay in the league.

“Coach Norvell made a lot of references in college to my ability to play on special teams to potentially make an NFL team,” Taylor said. “I took that to heart and that’s what I’ve done so far.”

Taylor has averaged 3.9 yards on 79 carries in his career and has 50 yards on 14 attempts with a touchdown this season. He will be joined on Sunday by Ke’Shawn Vaughn, who was called up from the practice squad on Saturday, and Israel Abanikanda, who was claimed off waivers by the Jets on Dec. 3.”

Why Dre Greenlaw’s return gave the 49ers defense back its swagger (Paywall)

“It’s notable that Greenlaw, the defensive tone setter, was replaced during his absence by De’Vondre Campbell, 31, who was suspended by the 49ers on Monday for refusing to play after Greenlaw was forced out against the Rams.

The difference in performance between Greenlaw and Campbell, who was signed in March, is one reason the 49ers rank 15th in the NFL in rushing defense, which would be their lowest ranking since 2017. But their different mindsets underscore what Greenlaw said he noticed was missing in a season in which team captains like running back Christian McCaffrey and Trent Williams missed significant time.

Greenlaw said the absence of such players is one reason the 49ers lacked some of their usual collective strength.

“When you have a lot of new people and a lot of young people, they continue to buy into the culture,” Greenlaw said. “And sometimes you make mistakes. Sometimes you don’t know the standard. Sometimes when you’re new and you’ve never seen it before, or when you’re young, you don’t really know what to expect.”

The 49ers are expected to make a strong effort to retain Greenlaw, whose market could easily be under pressure since he missed 34 of 97 games due to injury. Still, Greenlaw could raise his price with more transformative performances in the final three games of the regular season.”

Despite the 49ers’ difficult season, Lynch remains confident in Purdy

“We have a lot of confidence in Brock. One of the things we love about him is his resiliency and his ability to bounce back from difficult snaps and difficult plays. I think our entire team will be tested this year. We all have to do this together. We have to find out the reasons why something went wrong and we have to be lucky when it comes to staying healthy. First and foremost, we had to focus on Miami and finishing this year. We’re going to fight and try to get every win, whether it has playoff implications or not, because that’s what we’re paid for and that’s who we are.”

Shanahan dismisses Purdy’s recent self-criticism about competitiveness

“No,” Shanahan said when asked if he had spoken to Purdy about playing with a chip on his shoulder. “I heard about it because I had a radio show yesterday and they asked me about Brock, that he will play with more courage. And that was the only thing I heard about it. He has as big a chip on his shoulder as any player I’ve been with, so that puts me off. He’s probably just trying to answer a question and say something for you. But Brock plays just as hard and competitively as anyone I’ve been around.”

The 49ers activated Graham to replace the suspended Campbell for the Dolphins game

“San Francisco has also called up running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn and defensive lineman Alex Barrett from the practice squad to be available for the game against the Dolphins.”