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SANTA CLARA — The 49ers on Wednesday signed veteran punter Pat O'Donnell to the practice squad as an insurance policy if Mitch Wishnowsky is not able to play in Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks at Levi's Stadium.
Wishnowsky has been on the injury report for two weeks with a back injury and coach Kyle Shanahan indicated that the Australian punter is not recovering as quickly as the team had hoped.
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“Mitch Wishnowsky, his back flared up a little so we’re going to evaluate some treatment options this week and see how he deals these next couple days,” Shanahan said on Monday via conference call.
Wishnowsky only was on the field for one punt in San Francisco's 23-20 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, after the offense’s first drive of the game. The punt traveled 31 yards and was downed on the four-yard line.
O'Donnell originally was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round (No. 191) of the 2014 NFL Draft and played eight seasons with Chicago before joining the Green Bay Packers in 2022.
The Miami product did not play in 2023, but spent time on the practice squads of both the Packers and the Atlanta Falcons. O’Donnell’s average net yards punting over nine seasons is 39.2 yards.
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Wishnowsky’s average net yards punting over his six seasons with the 49ers is 40.7 yards, with his best season in 2023 when his net yards average was 42.7.
In order to make room on the practice squad, the 49ers released defensive lineman T.Y. McGill.
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