Braylon Edwards Released by San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Braylon Edwards was released on Tuesday after an injury-riddled season. He suffered a knee injury in week 2 that sidelined him for five weeks, and then suffered a shoulder injury two weeks later.

On his website, www.braylonedwards.com, he posted a message to his fans, saying I was released today by the 49ers due to my injury that required more time to rehab and hasn't allowed me to re-sync with the offense. I wish the 49ers organization the best of luck during the Playoffs. I will be working hard this off season to strengthen my knee and prepare for the 2012 season. Thanks for your continued support and for being such loyal fans.

Braylon Edwards signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the 49ers in August. In 2010 with the New York Jets, Edwards had an impressive year, catching 53 passes for 904 yards and 7 touchdowns. 2011 is a much different story, with his stats totaling 15 receptions for 181 yards and no touchdowns.

It's been clear that the 49ers and Edwards were both unhappy. After a 21-19 loss to Arizona on Dec. 11th in which Edwards did not have a catch and only played 12 snaps, he refused to answer questions from reporters, telling them to talk to receivers who played. The following week, he was benched for non-injury reasons. Jon Harbaugh, the head coach of the 49ers, said the benching was due to performance.

The 49ers wide receiver corp. has been anything less than impressive this year. They rank 29th out of 30th in the NFL in passing, but have maintained their NFC West leading 12-3 record by having the number 1 ranked defense in the league - a defense that allowed their first rushing touchdown of the year last week to Marshawn Lynch.

With Braylon Edwards now gone, the 49ers only healthy receivers are Michael Crabtree, who has 64 receptions for 788 yards and 2 touchdowns, and Brett Swain, who has 1 catch on the year. Kyle Williams, Ted Ginn and Vernon Davis, who collectively have 9 touchdowns for over 1000 yards, are all injured. The team is expected to sign a veteran free agent to fill the gap.