As it turns out, 49ers receiver Michael Crabtree wasn’t the only unsigned member of the 2009 draft class.
Also without a contract, as of yesterday, was linebacker Stanley Arnoux.
The fourth-round pick suffered a ruptured Achilles’ tendon during offseason workouts in May. The team has announced that he has now signed a contract, and that he has been placed on injured reserve.
Arnoux played at Wake Forest with Seahawks linebacker Aaron Curry, the fourth overall pick in the draft. In February, Curry told us that Arnoux was the best player on the 2008 Demon Deacons.
Meanwhile, we continue to be troubled by the fact that unsigned rookies who suffer serious injuries during voluntary practices have to wait so long to get their deals. Regardless of how fair the deal ultimately is, guys like Arnoux and Pats third-round linebacker Tyrone McKenzie (torn ACL) shouldn’t be among the last players signed. At some point, these unsigned rookies need to refuse to practice without signed contracts -- unless and until the letters of protection that the players currently sign provide better protection from the standpoint of when the players will be paid.