Niners Say They're Not Shopping Harris Around

Nolan said the 49ers are not actively trying to trade offensive tackle Kwame Harris, who lost his starting job to rookie Joe Staley. Harris is in the final year of his contract. He expects the 49ers to trade him. Harris lost his starting job after the third preseason game to Joe Staley, the Niners' first-round pick. San Francisco then deactivated Harris for Monday night's victory over Arizona, ending his streak of 37 consecutive starts.

Harris understood the decision, since coach Mike Nolan prefers to dress backups who can play more than one position. Harris isn't ready to be the backup left tackle after just recently starting to take snaps at his former position, but he felt strange standing on the sideline while his teammates gritted out a 20-17 win over the Cardinals. Though he hasn't formally requested a trade, he knows the 49ers are taking calls about his availability. He also knows that sitting on the Niners' bench this season will be poison to his hopes of landing a significant free-agent contract for 2008.

Harris and his agent keep an eye on injuries around the league these days, even while Harris adjusts to his new role. Their interest was piqued when Washington lost starting right tackle Jon Jansen for the season, and St. Louis lost Orlando Pace in week 1, but neither the Rams or the Redskins apparently have made a play for Harris. Though he became a favorite target of fans' ire for his penalty-prone play and an occasional embarrassment in pass protection, his coaches pointed out Harris' outstanding run-blocking as one reason for running back Frank Gore's franchise-record 1,695 yards last season.