Niner TE Eric Johnson Moved to IR

OK - If you drafted Eric Johnson as your tight end - it's time to free up that roster spot and go grab a free agent!

Eric Johnson, the San Francisco 49ers' leading receiver last season, was placed on injured reserve Thursday with a torn muscle in his left foot.

Johnson, who hasn't been healthy since before training camp, will miss his second full season in three years. The Yale graduate sat out all of 2003 after breaking his collarbone in the 49ers' first exhibition game, but had 82 catches for 825 yards last season.

Waiver acquisition Trent Smith might get his first chance to play for the 49ers on Sunday. Smith, 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds, was inactive for the 49ers' first two games, but coach Mike Nolan suggested that he could play a role Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys. It would be the first NFL action for Smith, 26, who spent his first two years in the league on Baltimore's injured-reserve list recovering from a severely broken left leg.

"He has the potential to be a weapon in the passing game, but we're still working him in and we'll see how it goes," Nolan said.

The Niner's need a TE to play a bigger part in their offensive scheme, so keep and eye on Smith in case he becomes next week's "Steve Heiden."