The past Patriots and past 49ers in the fold for Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.
Familiar faces will cross paths at Levi’s Stadium.
Former New England Patriots reside in the fold for head coach Kyle Shanahan’s roster. Former San Francisco 49ers reside in the fold for head coach Jerod Mayo’s roster. Additional connections can between the practice squads and the reserve lists, too.
Here’s a glance through those connections leading up to Sunday’s 4:05 p.m. ET kickoff.
SAN FRANCISCO
Patrick Taylor Jr., running back — A workout led to a spot on the practice squad in Foxborough during the 2022 season. But after a month that fall, Taylor terminated his contract to return to the Green Bay Packers as a member of the 53-man roster. The 26-year-old running back had entered the league there as an undrafted free agent out of Memphis in 2020. He made his way to Santa Clara as a free agent in April and has made three appearances since then on special teams. Across 37 career games and 79 offensive touches, Taylor stands with 261 rushing yards, 69 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Ke’Shawn Vaughn, running back — Now on the 49ers’ practice squad, Vaughn had been released by the Patriots in May as the organization added to the undrafted class. The 27-year-old running back joined the scout team in December and reached a futures contract in January. By way of Illinois and Vanderbilt, Vaughn was selected in the third round of the 2020 draft at No. 76 overall. He appeared in 43 games with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A Super Bowl LV champion, the NFL journey has brought 465 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns through 103 carries and 14 catches.
Eric Saubert, tight end — Saubert stands 10 teams into a run that began with the Atlanta Falcons in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL draft. The tight end via Drake was acquired by former head coach Bill Belichick in exchange for a conditional selection during training camp in 2019. He would be part of the 53-man roster cuts at the end of that preseason. The 30-year-old has gone on to appear in 87 games, starting 17, while catching 40 passes for 359 yards and two touchdowns. San Francisco agreed to terms with Saubert in April. The veteran blocker holds a spot on an active depth chart led by perennial Pro Bowler George Kittle.
NEW ENGLAND
JaMycal Hasty, running back — Hasty outlasted the NFL’s cutdown deadline in August as the No. 3 back on the depth chart. The Baylor product has since appeared in all three contests this September for the Patriots, handling a pair of handoffs, a pair of kick returns and work in the two-minute drill. Undrafted in 2020, Hasty spent his initial two campaigns in the league with San Francisco before being claimed off waivers. The 28-year-old back was then claimed off waivers from the Jacksonville Jaguars last November. A vet of 44 games, he has tallied 733 yards and five touchdowns across 153 touches from scrimmage.
Kendrick Bourne, wide receiver — On physically unable to perform while recovering from the torn ACL that sent him to injured reserve last October, Bourne had led the Patriots with 55 targets, 37 catches, 406 yards and four touchdowns prior to then. A three-year contract extension followed for the 29-year-old wide receiver in March. Entering the league as undrafted free agent out of Eastern Washington in 2017, Bourne appeared in his first 58 NFL games with the 49ers. His run in the NFC West included 137 receptions for 1,769 yards and 11 scores. He made his way to the AFC East as free agency opened in 2021.
Christian Elliss, linebacker — The Patriots retained Elliss’ exclusive rights in March after he landed in December as a deferred waiver claim. The versatile linebacker’s stay in Foxborough has spanned seven games as well as 149 snaps on special teams. Undrafted out of Idaho in 2021, Elliss began his rookie season with the Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles. He then spent a week on the practice squad in San Francisco that November before circling back to his previous club. The 25-year-old’s NFL run includes 38 tackles through 26 games and one start.
Joey Slye, kicker — The 28-year-old Slye has gone 6-of-7 on field goals with a block this September for New England. A May addition to the kicker depth chart, he entered the NFL as an undrafted rookie in 2018. And in October 2021, he entered the picture for San Francisco after an injury to incumbent specialist Robbie Gould. The Virginia Tech alum was waived the following month after making 87.5 percent of his field goals and 50 percent of his extra points. Now 81 games into his career, Slye’s path has included additional stops with five other clubs. A long of 61 was notched during his time with the Washington Commanders.