49ers Sign LB Eric Kendricks
The 49ers signed veteran linebacker Eric Kendricks to their practice squad on Wednesday, per a team announcement.
Kendricks spent the first eight years of his career with the Vikings before a one-year stint with the Chargers in 2023. He nearly signed in San Francisco during the 2024 offseason before reversing course and joining the Cowboys instead. He started 15 games and led the team with 138 tackles, marking his ninth-straight season with at least 100 tackles. The 33-year-old did not re-sign in Dallas despite a significant late-season injury to DeMarvion Overshown that sidelined him into 2025.
Kendricks received little interest this offseason and declined an October invitation from the Ravens to join their practice squad. He turned Baltimore down for the same reason he spurned the 49ers last spring: his desire for guaranteed playing time, as opposed to fighting for a starting job or contributing to a rotation. San Francisco been losing defenders left and right this season, including multiple inside linebackers. Fred Warner went down with a season-ending injury in October and his replacement, Tatum Bethune, is expected to miss at least one more game with a high ankle sprain. That will give Kendricks an opportunity to play right away, which, this late in the season, was enough to motivate a signing.
Curtis Robinson replaced Bethune when he went down in Week 11 and got the start in Week 12. He struggled, earning just a 32.0 grade from Pro Football Focus (subscription required) and missed two of his four tackle attempts. Kendricks, a veteran with a strong history of place into his 30s, will likely be an upgrade that could help the 8-4 49ers secure a playoff spot. Despite their strong record, they still sit in third place in the NFC West and may need a wild card berth to make the postseason.
In a corresponding move to signing Kendricks, the 49ers released undrafted rookie linebacker Stone Blanton from their practice squad.
Seahawks To Sign RB Cam Akers
The Seahawks adding to their backfield by signing running back Cam Akers to their active roster, per Schultz
Akers, 26, started the season on the Vikings’ practice squad and was released this week after he ran out of game day elevations. In his three appearances, he only played eight snaps on offense and seven on special teams. Last year, he appeared in 17 games – five with the Texans and 12 with the Vikings – for a total of 444 yards and two touchdowns on 104 carries. This will be his return to the NFC West after starting his career as a Rams second-round pick in 2020.
Akers’ arrival in Seattle does not bode well for third-string running back George Holani, who is currently dealing with a hamstring injury. Head coach Mike Macdonald said on Monday (via ESPN’s Brady Henderson) that Holani could go on injured reserve pending further testing. That could very well be the corresponding move to open up a 53-man roster spot for Akers.
However, Akers is a somewhat curious replacement for Holani, who has been a non-factor on offense behind Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet. Holani has 133 snaps on special teams this season with only 36 snaps and 24 touches on offense.who has primarily been restricted to special teams duties. Akers only started playing special teams in 2024 and has just 49 snaps in his entire career.
As a result, the Seahawks may need to find another player to take Holani’s special teams work. Akers will slot in behind Walker and Charbonnet, likely serving as injury insurance more than anything else. Walker is averaging 4.6 YPC and 75.8 total yards per game, Charbonnet has been an effective short-yardage back with seven touchdowns (tied for ninth most in the league), and both have picked up first downs on over 20% of their carries. There does not seem to be much opportunity for Akers, and even if Walker or Charbonnet go down, the Seahawks could simply turn to them as one of their lead backs.
Broncos, Malcolm Roach Agree To Extension
The Broncos are signing defensive tackle Malcolm Roach to a three-year contract extension, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport.
The deal has a base value of $24MM, including $14M in guaranteed money, with another $5.25MM available via incentives, according to 9News’ Mike Klis. Roach’s $8MM APY represents a substantial raise for the sixth-year defensive lineman, who arrived in Denver after signing a two-year, $7MM contract in 2024. He is now tied to the team through 2028.
Roach, 27, began his career as an undrafted free agent with the Saints in 2020. He made the 53-man roster and served as a member of the D-line rotation for the next four seasons. However, he only appeared in 41 games due to a handful of injuries, three of which forced him on injured reserve.
Roach produced seven tackles for loss and only one sack in New Orleans, but immediately stepped up his play as a member of the Broncos’ top-ranked defense in 2023. His 43 tackles, 2.5 sacks, five tackles for loss, and eight quarterback hits were all career-highs. He also played a full season for the first time in his career.
Roach started the 2025 season on injured reserve due to a grade 2 calf strain. He missed the first five games of the year before his designation to return and activation from IR shortly after. In his six games since, he has recorded 21 tackles and two sacks, putting him on pace to best his 2024 numbers in those categories.
The Broncos waited a month after Roach’s return to the field to engage him in extension talks after ensuring he was back at his usual level of play. His average annual value appropriately puts him in the company of DaQuan Jones, Harrison Phillips, and A’Shawn Robinson. It is also similar to the $7.5MM APY deal signed by Roach’s teammate, John Franklin-Myers, last offseason.
With $14MM guaranteed in his new deal, Roach will almost double his current career earnings of $7.35MM, per OverTheCap. The Broncos, meanwhile, will have a core part of their defensive line rotation under contract for another three years at an affordable price. Denver is already paying Zach Sieler and D.J. Jones a combined $38.5MM, and they seem unlikely to re-sign Franklin-Myers. The Roach contract ensures they will have three veteran starters through the 2027 season.
Chiefs RG Trey Smith To Miss Time; RB Isiah Pacheco Will Return In Week 13
1:20pm: Pacheco will indeed play on Thursday, head coach Andy Reid confirmed (via Fowler’s colleague Nate Taylor). That could provide a boost to Kansas City’s running game against a Cowboys defense which has allowed just 90 yards on the ground across its past two games.
9:53am: The Chiefs are expected to be without Pro Bowl right guard Trey Smith for Thursday’s game against the Cowboys, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Smith is dealing with both high and low ankle sprains and could miss multiple weeks. Thursday would be Smith’s second absence of the season – low back spasms sidelined him in Week 8 – after starting all but one game in the first three years of his career. Though Jaylon Moore is listed as the Chiefs’ backup right guard on their depth chart, Mike Caliendo will be tapped to start at right guard as he did in Week 8.
Meanwhile, running back Isiah Pacheco is hoping to return to the field in Week 13 after a three-game absence due to a knee injury, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Pacheco was off to a rough start in 2025, with only 163 rushing yards on 39 carries across his first five games. He then rushed for 166 yards and his first touchdown of the year in his next three games before getting hurt.
Kareem Hunt has saw a significant uptick in offensive involvement during Pacheco’s stint on the sidelines with 54 carries in his last three games, including a career-high 30 attempts in Week 12. Pacheco will eat into that workload, especially since he was trending upwards before his injury. The Chiefs will be hoping that he can quickly return to, if not surpass that level of play.
Saints To Swap Kickers By Signing Cade York, Waiving K Blake Grupe
The Saints are making a change at kicker. Cade York is set to join the practice squad in New Orleans, per NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill, and Blake Grupe will be waived from the active roster as a result, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
York won the Saints’ kicking job with a successful tryout on Tuesday morning, beating out disgraced former Raven Justin Tucker.
Grupe has had a tough season, his third in the NFL. He made just 10 of his 15 field goal attempts in the first five games of the year with one miss inside of 40 yards and two more inside of 50 yards. He bounced back in his next four games, missing only a 53-yarder and converting all three of his other tries.
However, Grupe regressed in Week 12 against the Falcons, missing from 38 and 47 yards to drop his conversion rate to 69.2% on the year, a significant drop from the 81.1% and 87.1% marks of his first two seasons. The Saints’ coaching staff decided they had seen enough and opted to make a change.
York, a 2022 fourth-round pick by the Browns, made 75% of his kicks as a rookie with five misses inside of 50 yards. The Browns released him during final roster cuts in 2023; he bounced around with a few teams but did not make any appearances that year. York eventually found his way back to Cleveland during the 2024 offseason but again failed to win the starting kicker job. He was traded to the Commanders to kick in Week 1, but missed both of his field goals and was released shortly after.
York was later picked up by the Bengals for five games, during which time he made nine of his 11 field goals and 13 of his 15 extra point attempts. Despite the bounce-back showing in Cincinnati, York did not receive any interest this offseason, but he will get a chance in New Orleans and could lock down the job for the rest of the year with a strong debut in Week 13.
Colts DC Lou Anarumo Expected To Draw HC Interest From Giants
Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo is expected to draw interest from the Giants’ regarding their head coaching vacancy, per The Exhibit’s Josina Anderson.
Anarumo, 59, is one of the most respected defensive coaches in the NFL. He began his career with the Dolphins in 2012, serving as their defensive backs coach until 2017 with a brief stint as interim defensive coordinator in 2015. After a year as the Giants’ DBs coach in 2018, Anarumo was hired by the Bengals in 2019 under incoming head coach Zac Taylor.
Anarumo turned a Cincinnati defense that ranked 30th in points and 32nd in yards allowed into a respectable one within a few seasons. However, the unit only ranked among the league’s top-10 in either category during his tenure, though that could also be attributed to the team’s poor draft-and-develop record with defensive players. After the Bengals regressed to the 25th-ranked defense in 2024, Anarumo was fired.
The veteran coach quickly drew DC interest and interviewed with the Colts and the Falcons. He was hired in Indianapolis and has been a major part of their 8-3 start. Though the offense has been the primary driver of the Colts’ success, their defense has more than held up their end of the bargain. The Bengals, meanwhile, are not just the league’s worst defense; they are a historically bad unit.
Anarumo’s success in Indianapolis will likely get him on the radar for open head coaching jobs during the 2026 hiring cycle, including the Giants’ vacancy. He has past experience in New York under the same ownership and a relationship with general manager Joe Schoen. The two overlapped in Miami from 2012 to 2016, where Schoen rose through the scouting department to eventually become the director of player personnel. The familiarity with Schoen as well as Giants owner and president John Mara could certainly be a factor in getting Anarumo an interview.
When asked about his interest in a head coaching position on Tuesday, Anarumo said (via Joel Erickson of the Indianapolis Star) that he would be lying if he said he did not want a top job, but added that his focus was on the Colts’ next opponent.
It will be interesting to see if New York pursues a defensive-minded coach. They have not hired a former defensive coordinator as a head coach since Bill Parcells in 1983.
Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield Suffers Sprain In Non-Throwing Shoulder
Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield suffered a sprain to his left, non-throwing shoulder on Sunday against the Rams, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Mayfield left midway through the game and did not return to the field. He could be seen on the sidelines sporting a sling on his left arm as backup Teddy Bridgewater closed out the 34-7 loss. Bridgewater would start if Mayfield has to miss any time.
An MRI on Monday confirmed the initial suspicion that Mayfield suffered a sprained AC joint. The sprain is considered “low-grade” (via Rapoport) and there was no additional damage to Mayfield’s shoulder, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. The 30-year-old’s status for next week’s game against the Cardinals is still up in the air, but he appears to have avoided a major injury that could have seriously threatened the Buccaneers’ playoff chances.
After a strong start to the season, Tampa Bay’s lead in the NFC South has evaporated. At 6-5, they are now tied for first place with Carolina, and though the Buccaneers hold the tiebreaker, they have lost three straight while the Panthers have won five of their last seven. An absence from Mayfield would be a huge blow to an offense that floundered without him on Sunday, though the Bucs do have a relatively easy schedule for the rest of the year. Their next three opponents are a combined 9-24 on the season; after that are two crucial matchups with the Panthers with a game against the 4-7 Dolphins.
Mayfield’s Week 13 status is still up in the air, but he has played through a number of injuries in his career. Since the injury is to his non-throwing shoulder, he may choose to wear a brace or some other protective equipment and attempt to take the field in Week 13 anyway. Tampa Bay could also try to beat the 3-8 Cardinals next week without Mayfield in the hopes that a week off will give his shoulder enough time to heal up for the final stretch of the year.
Dolphins To Designate TE Darren Waller To Return From IR
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said (via ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques) that tight end Darren Waller will be designated to return from injured reserve this week.
Waller suffered a pectoral strain in Week 7 and landed on IR shortly after. After four games on the sidelines, he is now eligible to return to the field. This was his second absence this season; he missed Miami’s first three games due to a hip injury suffered in training camp.
In his three games before getting injured, Waller caught 10 of his 12 targets for 117 yards and four touchdowns. His averages of 39 yards. 1.3 touchdowns, and 3.3 receptions per game are the best numbers of any Dolphins tight end in the McDaniel era outside of Jonnu Smith. That makes sense considering the fact that Waller came out of retirement this offseason to replace Smith in Miami after he was traded to the Steelers as part of the Jalen Ramsey–Minkah Fitzpatrick swap.
Dolphins tight ends Julian Hill and Tanner Conner have offered precious little production this year, but Greg Dulcich has stepped up since taking Waller’s spot on the 53-man roster. He has eight catches for 89 yards in his last three games, but none of Miami’s TEs have scored a touchdown all season.
Waller will have 21 days to practice with the team before he must be activated to the 53-man roster or revert to season-ending IR.
Eagles S Andrew Mukuba To Go On IR After Ankle Surgery
The Eagles are expected to place rookie safety Andrew Mukuba on injured reserve after he fractured his ankle late in Sunday’s loss to the Cowboys, per Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Mukuba, 22, was a second-round pick (No. 64 overall) in April’s draft and immediately took over a starting safety job in Philadelphia. He has played 93% of the team’s defensive snaps this season with 46 tackles, three passes defended, and two interceptions.
Mukuba will require surgery and is not certain to return this season, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. He was carted off the field and had to be assisted into the locker room, per ESPN’s Tim McManus; after the game, he was wearing a walking boot and using crutches, according to Jeff McLaine of The Philadelphia Inquirer. To make matters worse for Philadelphia’s secondary, their other starting safety, Reed Blankenship, also left the game and did not return.
The injuries could put the Eagles in a tough spot. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio primarily uses two-high safety looks, and Mukuba and Blankenship have combined for 1,037 snaps as free safeties this season. The next-highest total on the team is 54 from backup safety Sydney Brown. He will step into a starting role with Mukuba sidelined, but if Blankenship misses time, Fangio will be scrambling for another option.
Philadelphia does not have another safety on their 53-man roster and only one on their practice squad. That would be second-year UDFA Andre’ Sam who has yet to play this season and did not appear on defense as a rookie. Veteran Marcus Epps is on injured reserve and will not be eligible to return for another week. Cornerback Cooper DeJean has the skillset to play safety, but very little experience in college or the NFL.
The Eagles’ next game is on Black Friday, giving them a short window to evaluate Blankenship’s injury and figure out a plan for their secondary. They may need to check in on available free agents and potentially host a few for workouts. Even if Blankenship is available for Week 13,
Steelers’ Aaron Rodgers Focused on ‘Safety’ Over Pain Management; QB To Miss Week 12
NOVEMBER 23: Rodgers will not play against Chicago in Week 12, per Rapoport and NFL Network colleague Tom Pelissero. The duo expected Pittsburgh’s QB1 to suit up againt Buffalo in Week 13.
NOVEMBER 22: Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was a limited practice participant on Thursday and Friday and is listed as questionable on the official injury report for Sunday’s game against the Bears. He has been dealing with a fracture in his left (non-throwing) wrist.
Rodgers said on Wednesday (via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor) that his priority is “safety” rather than pain management, suggesting that he is more concerned about sustaining additional damage to his wrist than he is about playing through discomfort. That said, Rodgers has been pushing to play, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who reports team doctors are taking a more cautious approach. The 41-year-old passer was seen wearing protective gear on his left wrist during practice this week, per Mike DeFabo of The Athletic, and Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network says Rodgers believes he can adequately protect himself in a game situation.
When asked about a more specific timeline for making a decision, Rodgers deferred to head coach Mike Tomlin.
Mason Rudolph will start on Sunday if Rodgers cannot go. The six-year veteran had two brief relief appearances earlier this season and an extended showing in Week 11 after Rodgers’ injury. Rudolph played well to close out a win over the Bengals, completing 12 of his 16 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown, though that did come against the worst defense in the NFL.
The Bears have a bottom-10 defense and rank 30th with 6.2 yards per play allowed, but they lead the league with 22 takeaways. That sets up a somewhat simple challenge for Rudolph: take care of the football. In Chicago’s seven wins, they have forced 20 turnovers; in their three losses, they have forced just one.
If Rodgers does not play on Sunday, he seems trending towards a return in Week 13 against the Bills in a matchup that could have significant implications for AFC playoff seedings.