Price finds his way to injured reserve with an undisclosed injury in order to make room for quarterback Kyler Murray, who was activated from IR this afternoon. Price spent time on IR last year with a knee injury before missing the first five games of this season, as well.
Another former DeMeco Ryans 49ers charge is heading to Houston. The Texans picked up Kerry Hyder, whom the 49ers dropped last week, on Tuesday.
Hyder, who will join the Texans on a practice squad deal, played for the 49ers during the second of Ryans’ two seasons as their defensive coordinator. The well-traveled defensive end was also with San Francisco in 2020, when Ryans was in place as a position coach. He will follow Jimmie Ward and Hassan Ridgeway in signing with Houston. The Texans also released tackle Geron Christian and wide receiver Lance McCutcheon from their P-squad.
The 49ers released Hyder on roster-cutdown day in August but did so with the understanding he would be brought back soon after. The team followed through on that pledge, re-signing Hyder after making other moves to free up roster spots. But San Francisco’s decision to acquireRandy Gregory from Denver differentiated the latest Hyder cut. A spot did not appear to be available for the former UDFA any longer, but with two former 49ers DCs now in leadership roles elsewhere, Hyder had some important references on which to rely.
While Hyder also played for Robert Saleh during the current Jets head coach’s final season as the 49ers’ DC, the Texans have been busy adding former 49ers. Ward signed a two-year deal this offseason, while Ridgeway followed Ryans on a one-year agreement. It is unclear if the 49ers offered Hyder, 32, a spot on their practice squad.
During a 2020 season in which the 49ers lost Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas in Week 2, Hyder helped out Saleh’s unit with 8.5 sacks. The ninth-year veteran has two eight-plus-sack seasons on his resume, notching eight with the Lions in 2016. This will mark Hyder’s first trip to the AFC. In addition to four Lions seasons, the Texas Tech alum has also spent a season apiece with the Cowboys (2019) and Seahawks (2021). Seattle bailed on Hyder’s two-year, $6.8MM contract after one season, but the 49ers offered him his old job back. Working as a rotational rusher for Ryans’ No. 1-ranked 49ers defense last season, Hyder played 36% of the team’s defensive snaps. Although Hyder’s 2022 stat line was light on production (one sack), he batted down a career-high three passes.
Walker’s elevation comes amidst a degree of uncertainty regarding DeshaunWatson‘s Sunday availability. The latter is dealing with a shoulder injury, but he has expressed confidence he will be able to suit up. In the event he is unable to play, though, Walker will provide insurance under center. NFL Network’s James Palmer reports Watson will be a game-time decision.
Chosen, formerly Robbie Anderson, made his Dolphins debut in Week 3, scoring a 68-yard touchdown on his only catch. His performance – along with other depth wideouts currently being sidelined for Miami – will give the 30-year-old a longer look with his new team.
Gore’s elevation will give him the chance to see regular season game action for the first time since 2021. The former UDFA recorded 361 scrimmage yards with the Chiefs that season, but a subsequent IR stint marked the end of his time in Kansas City. Gore has since spent time on the Saints’, and now Commanders’, taxi squads. Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post notes that fellow depth back Chris Rodriguezhas bee ruled out with an illness, opening the door to Gore seeing limited snaps.
Geron Christian is back in Houston for his second stint with the team, as the lineman started eight of his 14 appearances for the Texans in 2021. The former Washington third-round pick spent the 2022 campaign with the Chiefs, where he mostly played on special teams in his 10 games.
A pair of notable running backs found jobs today. Deon Jackson joined the Browns practice squad after getting cut by the Colts last week. The RB started Week 1 for Indy, and he ultimately finished his stint with the team having collected 504 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns in 27 games. Meanwhile, Jeremy McNichols is heading to San Francisco after having spent the past two seasons as one of Derrick Henry‘s backups. The former fifth-round pick got into 30 games between 2021 and 2022, collecting 655 yards from scrimmage.
Monday saw the Dolphins take a signficant step toward reaching 53 players on the active roster in time for tomorrow’s deadline. Here are the team’s latest round of cuts, including three players who were released and 11 who were waived:
Coutee attempted to land a depth spot with the Saints this offseason, but his release put an end to that endeavor. He was quickly signed by the Dolphins, but he will remain with the team only via the practice squad ahead of Week 1. Johnson, like Woods, was signed very recently in depth moves which gave each player an opportunity to earn a roster spot at the conclusion of the preseason. In both of their cases, that has not happened.
After two seasons with the Jets, Dan Feeney has agreed to a deal that will keep him in the AFC East. Rather than reach a third agreement with the Jets, Feeney is signing with the Dolphins.
Miami will bring in the veteran offensive lineman on a one-year deal, Peter Schrager of Fox Sports tweets. The former third-round pick has 64 starts on his resume and stands to give the Dolphins some options along their interior O-line.
This agreement will give Feeney an opportunity to play a seventh NFL season. The former Chargers starting center and guard did not earn the same opportunity with the Jets, starting seven games in two seasons. His Bolts tenure also did not overlap with Dolphins OC Frank Smith, who spent the 2021 season with the team. But Feeney has proven durable and will supply depth, at the very least, for Mike McDaniel’s team.
Feeney, 28, went three straight seasons as a Chargers starter — at either guard or center — and did not miss a game in that span, finishing out Philip Rivers‘ tenure and snapping to Justin Herbert in 2020. Pro Football Focus has never been especially fond of the Indiana alum’s work, save for a positive review as a Jets swingman in 2021, but the Dolphins probably are not planning for this agreement to lead to a surefire first-string gig.
The Dolphins have Connor Williams in place as their starting center, along with Robert Hunt and Liam Eichenberg at guard. Those positions did not plague Miami as much as its tackle spots did in 2022. But Eichenberg, who has moved between guard and tackle, did miss seven games last season. Former third-round pick Michael Deiter, a starter-turned-backup in Miami, played out his rookie contract last season.
The Dolphins aren’t done adding linemen. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald tweets that Miami is re-signing Geron Christian. The offensive lineman will be inking a new one-year pact, per Jackson. Christian started 16 games for Washington and Houston between 2019 and 2021. He appeared in 10 games for the Chiefs last season before getting waived. He was scooped up by the Dolphins and was on their roster for the season finale and Miami’s lone playoff game.
It does not look like Eric Fisher will play any Dolphins games. Signed last month, the veteran left tackle is now on injured reserve. The Dolphins placed Fisher on IR and claimed tackle Geron Christian off waivers from the Chiefs on Thursday.
Although Fisher agreed to terms with the Dolphins on Dec. 5, he did not seen any game action. The former No. 1 overall pick will be shut down for a minimum of four games. Considering Miami is not a lock to reach the playoffs, Fisher’s season is almost certainly done.
Fisher, 31, missed the past two Dolphins games because of a calf issue. While he returned to practice in a limited capacity Thursday, the Dolphins will move him off the 53-man roster to make room for Christian. A two-time Pro Bowler with the Chiefs, Fisher made 15 starts for the Colts last season. Indianapolis opted not to bring back the veteran this offseason.
The Dolphins signed Fisher on the same day they placed right tackle Austin Jackson on IR for a second time this season. Jackson has only played two games this season — Weeks 1 and 12. The former first-round pick can be activated from IR again, but he has not given the Dolphins much to count on this season. The Dolphins have tried Jackson at guard and left tackle as a pro. Fisher was unable to provide insurance behind Terron Armstead or new right tackle starter Brandon Shell, who was also an in-season addition. Armstead has not practiced this week, being listed on Miami’s injury report with four separate maladies. The high-priced free agent missed Week 17.
A former third-round Washington draftee in 2018, Christian has spent this season in Kansas City. Despite the Chiefs being without right tackle Lucas Niang for much of the season, Christian has seen action on just 11 offensive plays this year. He has 16 career starts on his resume, however, including a career-high eight for the Texans last season.
The Chiefs will be getting some offensive reinforcement just in time for the postseason. The team announced that they’ve activated wideout Mecole Hardman from injured reserve. To make room on the roster, the team waived offensive tackle Geron Christian.
Hardman last saw the field during Kansas City’s win over the Titans in early November. He was listed on subsequent injury reports with an abdominal injury before ultimately landing on IR. He returned to practice back in December and his three-week activation window was set to expire this week. Hardman was a limited participant at practice today with a pelvis injury, per ESPN’s Adam Teicher.
The former second-round pick had more than 500 receiving yards in each of his first three seasons in the NFL, including a 2021 campaign where he had a career-high 739 yards from scrimmage. Hardman has also served as the team’s primary punt returner, and he earned a Pro Bowl nod for his punt/kick returning during his rookie campaign.
In eight games (five starts) this season, Hardman already hauled in a career-high six touchdowns to go along with 328 yards from scrimmage.
Christian got into 10 games for the Chiefs this season, with the majority of his snaps coming on special teams. He started 16 games for Washington and Houston between 2019 and 2021.
The Chiefs have signed free agent OT Geron Christian, per Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network (via Twitter). It’s a one-year, $1.187MM deal for Christian, with $1.04MM guaranteed, according to Wilson (on Twitter).
A third-round pick of Washington in 2018, Christian missed significant time due to injury in his rookie campaign and in 2020. Washington selected Samuel Cosmi in the second round of last year’s draft and signed Charles Leno shortly thereafter, and with those new blockers in place, the club subsequently released longtime right tackle Morgan Mosesand waived Christian on the same day.
The Raiders and Dolphins put in claims for the Louisville product, but the Texans had higher waiver priority and therefore were awarded Christian for the last year of his rookie deal. He wound up appearing in 14 games (eight starts) in 2021, and while Pro Football Focus assigned him a below-average grade of 59.5, he did allow just one sack.
Given his draft pedigree and the interest he generated when Washington parted ways with him last year, it’s clear that talent evaluators see something in the 6-6, 315-pounder. In Kansas City, he will provide insurance in the event that complications should arise in Lucas Niang‘s recovery from a torn patellar tendon, and even if Niang is fully healthy, Christian could theoretically push him for playing time.
If nothing else, Christian represents a young swing tackle with upside on what is likely a low-cost pact.
