The 49ers had a trio of slot receivers with similar skill sets and Bruce Ellington was deemed the most expendable.
On Thursday, the 49ers waived Ellington, a 2014 fourth-round pick who was buried on the depth chart this summer after battling injuries throughout his career.
Ellington became a longshot to make the 53-man roster after the 49ers’ offseason moves at slot receiver. They signed Jeremy Kerley to a contract extension before free agency and selected Trent Taylor, head coach Kyle Shanahan’s favorite player in the draft, in the fifth round.
“I thought we were a little front loaded with some more inside receivers, the slot-type position,” Shanahan said.