Malik Turner

49ers Activate TE George Kittle From IR

As the 49ers say goodbye to one star, they’ll welcome another. Opening a spot on the 53-man roster by officially placing linebacker Fred Warner on injured reserve, San Francisco will fill it with the activation of tight end George Kittle from IR. Kittle is joined as an IR activation by defensive tackle Kevin Givens.

After suffering a full tear of his right hamstring in a Week 1 win over the Seahawks, Kittle sat out five games – the second-highest total of his career. The six-time Pro Bowler will return to an offense that will go without starting quarterback Brock Purdy for the third straight game. With Purdy dealing with a toe injury, Mac Jones will lead the 4-2 Niners against the 3-2 Falcons on Sunday.

The multi-game absences of Kittle and Purdy have been among several injury-related setbacks for San Francisco’s offense this year. The defense also hasn’t been spared. Star pass rusher Nick Bosa went down with a season-ending ACL tear in Week 3. The unit took a similarly brutal shot when Warner dislocated and fractured his ankle in a loss to the Buccaneers last week. The four-time Pro Bowler underwent surgery and will miss the rest of the regular season. A playoff return for Warner is an extreme long shot.

With Warner out of commission, Tatum Bethune will face a gargantuan task in replacing one of the game’s preeminent defenders. Bethune, a seventh-round pick in 2024, has only made one start in 17 career games. Out of 134 snaps this year, just 48 have come on defense. Bethune has otherwise worked on special teams.

While San Francisco’s defense has lost Warner, it’s getting some D-line depth back with Givens set to make his season debut. Givens hasn’t played in 2025 as a result of a pectoral injury. The seventh-year 49er totaled 3.5 sacks and six QB hits in eight games last season.

In addition to the IR transactions, San Francisco announced that defensive end Trevis Gipson has been signed from the practice squad to the 53-man roster. Joining him for the weekend as standard gameday practice squad elevations will be wide receiver Malik Turner and offensive lineman Nick Zakelj. To make room for Gipson on the active roster, the 49ers waived tight Brayden Willis.

Connor Byrne contributed to this post.

49ers Sign QB Adrian Martinez From Practice Squad

The 49ers signed quarterback Adrian Martinez to their active roster from the practice squad on Thursday, per Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area.

For the third time in four weeks, Martinez will serve as the backup to Mac Jones, who is starting once again in place of an injured Brock Purdy.

Martinez was elevated from the practice squad in Weeks 2 and 3, and the 49ers had the option to use up his third and final elevation for Thursday’s game. Instead, they signed him to the 53-man roster, which will ensure he is available to play as long as Purdy is sidelined after his recent setback.

Jones played every snap in his two starts, winning both games with a total of 563 passing yards and four touchdowns. Turnovers are somewhat of a concern – Jones threw one interception and fumbled twice (one lost) – but he would have to implode for the 49ers to put in Martinez for his NFL debut. Instead, the team will be hoping that Martinez only takes the field if they have built up a massive lead.

A former starter at Nebraska, Martinez spent his senior year at Kansas State, where he tossed six touchdowns vs. one interception. He also had a standout performance while running the ball, collecting another 627 yards and 10 touchdowns. He joined the Lions after going undrafted in 2023, and he later won UFL MVP before winning the league championship with the Birmingham Stallions. He spent the 2024 season on the Jets practice squad and was among the team’s final cuts following the 2025 preseason. He caught on with the 49ers practice squad in late August.

The 49ers offense will also be without wide receivers Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings on Thursday night, giving them an uphill battle against a strong Rams defense on a short week.

Joining Martinez from the practice squad will be defensive end Trevis Gipson and wide receiver Malik Turner, who have been called up as standard gameday practice squad elevations. To make room for Martinez on the 53-man roster, defensive tackle Jordan Jefferson was waived, and to fill Martinez’s open spot on the practice squad, the team signed cornerback Derrick Canteen.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/20/25

Here are today’s minor moves and Week 3’s standard gameday practice squad elevations:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • Elevated: T Tyler McLellan

Washington Commanders

There were some eyes on whether or not the Browns would add a kicker for the weekend after Andre Szmyt needed to undergo some MRI testing, but no such moves were made and Szmyt heads into the weekend without an injury designation. The team did report a workout with veteran kicker Matthew Wright, though, per Howard Balzer of CardsWire.

The 49ers will lose some additional offensive line depth as they place their intended swing tackle, Burford, on injured reserve. Additionally, with Martinez not getting signed to the active roster, it appears that injured starter Brock Purdy will not be active as an emergency option, as was rumored a bit yesterday. Purdy should be inactive as a result.

Herbig announced his retirement at the end of July after spending a good portion of the offseason with the Commanders. The 27-year-old was coming off a 2024 season in which he missed the entirety of the year with a shoulder injury. Washington’s release of Herbig from the reserve/retired list gives him an opportunity to sign with a new team as a free agent. There’s no guarantee that he’s headed anywhere specific, but he likely initiated the transaction in order to explore his options.

Wednesday NFL Transactions: NFC West

Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These 49ersCardinalsRams and Seahawks moves are noted below.

Arizona Cardinals

Signed to practice squad:

Los Angeles Rams

Signed to practice squad:

San Francisco 49ers

Signed: 

Claimed:

Released from IR (via settlement):

Signed to practice squad:

Seattle Seahawks

Signed:

Claimed:

Released:

Signed to practice squad:

49ers Cut 25 Players, Set 53-Man Roster

The 49ers had some work to do to get down to their initial 53-man roster. The front office achieved that daunting task this afternoon, as the organization announced the following moves:

Released:

Waived:

Activated from active/PUP:

Placed on reserve/PUP:

Placed on reserve/NFI:

Placed on reserve/suspended:

Placed on IR (designated for return):

Placed on IR:

Punter Thomas Morstead was cut today, but it sounds like the veteran won’t be a free agent for long. Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports that Morstead is expected to re-sign with the organization. The 39-year-old spent the past two seasons with the Jets, including a 2023 campaign where he led the NFL in punts and punting yards.

Barrows also notes that Jacob Cowing made the initial roster but is expected to land on injured reserve as he nurses a hamstring injury. This could open the door for one of the team’s cut WRs to land back on the active roster. That grouping includes Russell Gage, who had more than 1,500 receiving yards for the Falcons between the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

Elsewhere on offense, Jeff Wilson‘s reunion with the 49ers proved to be short lived after he joined the organization earlier this month. The veteran spent the past two-plus seasons in Miami, but he had a successful run in San Francisco to begin his career. This included a 2020 campaign where he compiled 733 yards from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/13/25

Today’s minor moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

  • Signed: CB Keni-H Lovely
  • Released from IR (injury settlement): CB Levi Wallace

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Signed: CB Nehemiah Shelton
  • Waived/injured: CB Jordan Oladokun

Minnesota Vikings

  • Signed: LB Cam Gill, LB Max Tooley
  • Reverted to IR: C Zeke Correll

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

The Titans swapped linebackers today, replacing Otis Reese with Brian Asamoah II. The latter was waived by the Vikings yesterday, but he’ll quickly land on his feet in Tennessee. The former third-round pick spent three years in Minnesota, collecting 30 tackles in 46 games. 802 of his 990 snaps came on special teams. He’ll be taking the spot formerly held by Reese, who started five games for the Titans over the previous two seasons.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/6/24

Here are Wednesday’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

  • Signed: T Ryan Hayes

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

While a few players in today’s roundup are catching back on with teams after being cut from their respective club’s active roster, the 49ers are adding Gage. This marks the veteran wideout’s first gig since the Ravens cut him following training camp. Gage, who totaled 700-plus-yard seasons with the Falcons in 2020 and 2021, did not justify a three-year, $30MM Buccaneers contract. The 28-year-old receiver has not played in a regular-season game since suffering a season-nullifying knee injury — a patellar tendon rupture — during Bucs camp in 2023.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/23/24

Today’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

While the Dolphins should soon have Tua Tagovailoa back on the field, the team has still added another QB to the mix. The team added veteran C.J. Beathard to the taxi squad today. The quarterback has bounced around the NFL since 2017, including a few stops in San Francisco when current Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel served as the 49ers run game coordinator. The 30-year-old got a start for the Jaguars last season, completing 17 of his 24 pass attempts for 178 yards. The newest addition will join a QB room that also includes Tyler Huntley, Skylar Thompson, and Tim Boyle.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/6/24

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: DE Zach Morton

Las Vegas Raiders

  • Signed: WR Dax Milne
  • Waived/injured: DT Tomari Fox

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Signed: QB Luis Perez
  • Waived: LB Savion Jackson

Los Angeles Rams

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Commanders

CeeDee Lamb isn’t usually mentioned in this type of post, but the transaction involving the wideout was simply procedural. As ESPN’s Todd Archer notes, placing Lamb on the reserve/did not report list opens up a roster spot for the Cowboys, something that was necessary after the team signed three players today. This move doesn’t impact negotiations, and Lamb can be activated once he returns to practice. Lamb continues to holdout while he waits for a new deal, but the front office is working hard to get him back in the building.

Justin Herbert‘s recent foot injury necessitated some extra depth at the position. The team ended up opting for Luis Perez, who led the UFL last season in completions (225), passing yards (2,309), and touchdowns (18). Perez will soak up some temporary snaps alongside Easton Stick, Max Duggan, and UDFA Casey Bauman.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/25/24

Here are Thursday’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

  • Placed on active/PUP list: FB Robert Burns

Carolina Panthers

  • Waived/injured: DT Popo Aumavae

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

  • Cut via injury settlement: WR Jared Wayne

Minnesota Vikings

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Signed: WR Griffin Hebert
  • Waived from active/NFI list: T Gottlieb Ayedze

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

  • Signed: WR Ty Scott
  • Waived: CB Andrew Whitaker
  • Activated from active/NFI list: LB Easton Gibbs

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • Signed: TE Sal Cannella

Tennessee Titans

Via this transaction, the Jets are temporarily moving Reddick off their 90-man roster. Unlike placements on the active/PUP or active/NFI lists that are commonplace in July, Reddick is technically out of the mix for the Jets until his holdout ends. The trade acquisition has not shown up at any point since being traded to the Jets in March.

Diggs suffered a torn ACL during a late-September practice. He is not expected to be sidelined past Week 1, but the Cowboys will not have him at practice for a bit.

Levin has been a Titans backup for most of the past six seasons, playing regularly on special teams and starting four games during his career. An interior O-lineman, Levin played the past two seasons on one-year Tennessee deals. This marks yet another chance for Ray, a Broncos first-rounder back in 2015. This agreement comes after Ray worked out for the Titans in May. Ray, 31, spent time with the Bills during the 2023 offseason but has not played in a regular-season NFL game since 2018.