The initial 53-man roster is never the final group, and it didn't take long for the San Francisco 49ers to do some significant surgery to theirs.

San Francisco confirmed on Wednesday that it had re-signed three players who were initially a part of its roster cuts on Tuesday,

Veteran tight end Eric Saubert and veteran cornerback Rock Ya-Sin were both re-signed, along with offensive lineman Ben Bartch.

To make room for that trio, the 49ers placed veteran interior offensive lineman Jon Feliciano and cornerback Ambry Thomas on injured reserve, while waiving defensive end Sam Okuayinonu, who had been a surprise inclusion on the 53-man roster. It remains to be seen if he will be added to the San Francisco practice squad.

San Francisco kept both Feliciano (knee) and Thomas (fractured forearm) on the active roster despite injuries. Had the 49ers placed both on IR on cutdown day, then one of either Feliciano or Thomas would have taken up one of San Francisco's eight 'injured reserve – designated for return' allocations for the season. The 49ers have already given defensive tackle Kalia Davis that designation after he suffered a knee injury that required surgery.

By waiting, the 49ers have given themselves time to decide if they wish to use that designation on Feliciano and Thomas, enabling them to bring back a trio of players whom most expected to be in the conversation to make the roster.

Teams around the league have learned how to use roster rules to their advantage, and the 49ers' exploitation of the IR rules are just another example of that point.

The San Francisco 49ers’ negotiations with Brandon Aiyuk appear to have taken a huge turn for the worse

Their relationship looks to have hit an all-time low.