Minor NFL Transactions: 1/5/26
Today’s minor moves:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Extended: DE Isaiah Foskey, LB Joe Giles-Harris, TE Cam Grandy, LB Shaka Heyward, S PJ Jules, WR Mitchell Tinsley
Denver Broncos
- Signed from practice squad: QB Sam Ehlinger
- Waived: OT Geron Christian, TE Marcedes Lewis
Detroit Lions
- Extended: OL Michael Niese, RB Jacob Saylors, CB Nick Whiteside
Indianapolis Colts
- Extended: LB Austin Ajiake
- Claimed off waivers (from Buccaneers): LB John Bullock
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed from practice squad: DE Larrell Murchison
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Waived: CB Tre Flowers
San Francisco 49ers
- Practice window opened: WR Jacob Cowing
Each of the players who were extended today received deals that last through the 2026 campaign. These contracts differ from reserve/futures contracts, which don’t count towards the team’s active list until after the Super Bowl.
The Bengals were especially active with these extensions today, handing out deals to a handful of players who could be in line for larger roles next season. Journeyman Joe Giles-Harris got into a career-high 10 games for Cincinnati this season, compiling 27 tackles while serving as a key special teamer. Shaka Heyward (16 tackles) and PJ Jules (18 tackles) saw similar roles for the 2025 Bengals. Mitchell Tinsley got some run on the Cincy offense this season, hauling in eight catches for 116 yards in 17 games.
49ers Notes: Kittle, Williams, Warner, WRs
Trent Williams missed almost all of the 49ers’ 42-38 win, going down with a hamstring injury sustained as he attempted to make a tackle on Brock Purdy‘s first-play pick-six. The future Hall of Fame left tackle is undergoing tests today, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. While this injury does not appear set to move Williams to IR, Rapoport points to a Week 18 absence being likely. The 49ers, after all, somewhat surprisingly (given their Seattle matchup’s importance) drew a short-week assignment for their regular-season finale.
Although the 49ers’ most notable injuries have involved season-enders (or apparent season-enders in Fred Warner‘s case), this heightens the importance of the team earning the NFC’s bye slot. Williams and George Kittle having recovery weeks would certainly be beneficial to this unlikely Super Bowl contender’s quest.
Here is the latest out of San Francisco:
- After three DNPs last week, Kittle missed the 49ers’ shootout win over the Bears. Swelling in the All-Pro tight end’s injured ankle prevented him from conducting a planned pregame workout, according to NBC’s Melissa Stark, leading to the Week 17 shutdown. Kittle, who came off IR earlier this season following a hamstring injury, expects to play in the 49ers’ Week 18 matchup. Charting the likely Hall of Famer’s practice log will be key, but Kittle appears to be readying to be available when the team matches up with the Seahawks for home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs.
- Warner’s comeback remains a talking point. Despite suffering a dislocated ankle in Week 6, the All-Pro linebacker said during NBC’s pregame show he has “a chance” to come back during the playoffs. No divisional-round return is expected, with Rapoport adding Warner’s earliest return point would likely come if the 49ers advance to the NFC championship game. This aligns with recent reporting on the linebacker’s recovery. This is generally a four- to six-month injury; as recently as late November, Kyle Shanahan said he did not expect Warner back until the 2026 season. But Rapoport points to the eighth-year defender returning in a partial role as a viable scenario should the 49ers’ season extend into late January.
- The 49ers have used five of their eight regular-season injury activations. In decent shape here, the 12-4 team will receive two more activations once the playoffs begin. One of those figures to go to Jacob Cowing, who has missed the entire season. Shanahan said Cowing — a 2024 fourth-round pick — was close to practicing in Week 17; the ninth-year HC expects Cowing’s IR-return window to open this week, The Athletic’s Matt Barrows notes. That would make Cowing, who has lingered on IR since late August due to a nagging hamstring injury, eligible to be activated ahead of Week 18. Cowing caught four passes for 80 yards last season.
- One of the wideouts the 49ers have needed to rely on due to the injuries to Cowing, Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings this season — one also featuring a Brandon Aiyuk no-show — Kendrick Bourne reached an incentive during the 49ers’ Week 16 win over the Colts. Returning to the 49ers in September following a Patriots release, Bourne triggered a $500K incentive by surpassing 500 receiving yards, Stark noted (h/t Awful Announcing). Bourne has 551 yards; he can earn another $250K bump by reaching 600.
49ers To Activate George Kittle, Rule Out Brock Purdy
The 49ers ruled out quarterback Brock Purdy for Week 7, per The Athletic’s Vic Tafur, meaning that Mac Jones will make his fifth start of the season.
Purdy was still limited in practice this week due to a re-aggravation of his toe injury. Jones, meanwhile, progressed to full participation despite dealing with knee and oblique injuries. He has led the 49ers to a 3-1 record in his four starts with a league-high 313 passing yards per game.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan also said (via ESPN’s Nick Wagoner) that tight end George Kittle would be activated from injured reserve for Sunday’s game, ending his four-game absence due to a Week 1 hamstring injury. Kittle is not expected to be on any kind of snap count, according to Tafur.
San Francisco created the space for Kittle’s activation on Friday by placing wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling on injured reserve, per Wagoner. The eight-year veteran will now be on the shelf for at least four games with a calf injury and becomes the latest 49ers wideout to miss time. Ricky Pearsall has been out for the last two games with a knee issue that will sideline him for Sunday’s contest as well. Jacob Cowing is on IR, though Shanahan said (via Wagoner) that he is “getting close” to returning to practice. Jauan Jennings has missed two games and played through four others with a litany of injuries. That’s not even mentioning Brandon Aiyuk, who will not be back until November at the earliest.
Kittle’s return will obviously go a long way in relieving the pressure on the 49ers’ injured receiving corps. Backup tight end Jake Tonges has performed well in his absence, giving Shanahan the options of using more two-tight end formations until the rest of his offense gets healthier.
Shanahan also said that defensive tackle Kevin Givens will “most likely” be activated from IR as well, which would add depth to a defensive line that has also dealt with a number of injuries this year. The 49ers can easily create a roster spot for Givens by placing linebacker Fred Warner on injured reserve after an ankle injury that is expected to end his season.
49ers Re-Sign P Thomas Morstead, Place WR Jacob Cowing On IR
After their moves to get down to 53 on their roster, the 49ers were temporarily without a punter. Thomas Morstead is back in the fold today, however. 
Morstead was re-signed on Wednesday, per a team announcement. The move means he will be able to handle punting duties at the start of the campaign. In a corresponding move, San Francisco’s receiver depth has been dealt another blow. Jacob Cowing is now on injured reserve.
Morstead is entering his 17th NFL season but his first in the Bay Area. The former Saint, Dolphin, Falcon and Jet was released shortly after the draft this spring. He quickly managed to line up a new deal, signing with the 49ers. Morstead took a one-year pact to head to San Francisco, and that will no doubt be the case again on his post-release contract with the team.
Cowing is set to miss at least the first month of the season. The 2024 fourth-rounder was not a factor on offense despite playing 15 games as a rookie, but he entered the summer as a candidate for an increased workload. Instead, Cowing’s second NFL campaign will be delayed at the start. This news adds further to the lack of availability at the receiver position the 49ers are currently dealing with.
Brandon Aiyuk will be sidelined through at least September, while Demarcus Robinson will start the campaign by serving his three-game DUI suspension. San Francisco has been busy adding wideouts with those looming absences in mind, and any more moves will now come with the knowledge Cowing will be unavailable early on.
49ers HC Kyle Shanahan Expects WR Jauan Jennings To Play In Week 1
49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings has been sidelined for weeks due to a lingering calf problem. However, head coach Kyle Shanahan expects Jennings to be ready for Week 1.
“I expect him to be back, he should be back from it,” Shanahan told reporters, including Matt Barrows of The Athletic, on Saturday. “But you never know with a calf.”
Jennings, 28, is entering a platform campaign, the result of the two-year deal player and team worked out last spring in lieu of an RFA tender. San Francisco’s negotiations with fellow WR Brandon Aiyuk dominated the club’s storylines last year, but Aiyuk suffered a torn ACL and MCL in Week 7, thus opening the door for Jennings to earn more targets.
The Tennessee product took advantage of his opportunity, setting career-highs across the board with 77 catches for 975 yards and six scores. That showing, along with Aiyuk’s injury – which will keep him sidelined until at least Week 6 of the 2025 season – and the offseason trade of Deebo Samuel had Jennings angling for a raise.
Last month, it was reported that Jennings wanted a contract extension or, failing that, to be traded to a different team. Shanahan later said Jennings had not formally requested a trade, and the wideout did participate in practice at the beginning of training camp before the calf injury arose.
There has been speculation that Jennings’ absence is driven at least in part by his contract situation and not entirely by his health. In the wake of his recent trade for Skyy Moore, GM John Lynch was asked whether the move was designed to send a message to Jennings.
“No message,” Lynch predictably replied (via Tristi Rodriguez of NBC Sports Bay Area). “We like the player, Skyy. We love Jauan. We’re getting close to the season. Players got to practice, but if they’re not healthy enough to do it, they can’t. So that’s kind of where we’re at with Jauan right now.”
Although the Jennings contract/injury matter remains murky, Shanahan was at least able to put a positive spin on it by saying he expects Jennings to be available for Week 1. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for 2024 fourth-rounder Jacob Cowing.
Shanahan announced Cowing has reinjured the hamstring injury that kept him out of the bulk of training camp, and that he “pulled it fully” (via ESPN’s Nick Wagoner). Cowing will miss at least six weeks as a result. Fourth-round rookie Jordan Watkins may not be available for Week 1 due to a high ankle sprain, and it sounds as if Shanahan expects Demarcus Robinson’s three-game DUI suspension to be upheld on appeal, so the Ricky Pearsall-fronted WR corps could sorely use Jennings’ presence.
On the defensive side of the ball, Shanahan announced rookie corner Jakob Robinson sustained a broken forearm near the end of Saturday’s preseason finale (via Wagoner). That is an especially tough development for Robinson, a rookie UDFA who appeared to have a real chance to make the 53-man roster.
49ers Looking To Rookies For Returner Role
For the past two seasons, the 49ers have enjoyed the utility of veteran wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud. While only ever providing minimal use on offense with 26 catches for 378 yards and one touchdown as a receiver in San Francisco, McCloud has provided consistency as a return man. With McCloud now on the other side of the country as a Falcon, the 49ers will be looking to fill that returner role in 2024. 
For that, San Francisco will likely look to two members of its rookie class. First-round wide receiver Ricky Pearsall and fourth-round wideout Jacob Cowing both have gotten early looks as returners.
An experienced punt returner for the Gators during his two seasons in Gainesville, Pearsall has the requisite experience to step into the role. As a fifth-year senior, he averaged 11.5 yards per return. His only kickoff return, though, came in his true freshman season with the Sun Devils in 2019. Pearsall’s allure during the draft process was his ability to play all over the offense and on special teams. Per ESPN’s Nick Wagoner, San Francisco has worked him out all over the field with the intention that he will be able to step in anywhere in case of injury.
Cowing had about the same number of returns as Pearsall in college during his two seasons at Arizona but failed to produce the same results. Still, Matt Barrows of The Athletic pegs him as the likelier candidate for a return job. Cowing is faster than McCloud was and a bit bigger, as well. His skillset with screens and end arounds would make him an ideal injury replacement for Deebo Samuel, as well.
The team still has second-year receiver Ronnie Bell, who was second on the team with 10 punt returns last year, and Samuel returned only four fewer kickoffs than McCloud in 2023. Still, Pearsall and Cowing may offer a bigger upside than Bell while allowing Samuel to remain on the sideline during special teams.
49ers Sign Round 2 CB Renardo Green, Two Other Draftees
Dozens of undoubtedly high-end pens are being put to paper around NFL facilities today, and the 49ers are in on the rookie signing action. San Francisco inked three members of its rookie class Thursday night.
Second-round cornerback Renardo Green and fourth-round picks Isaac Guerendo, a running back, and Jacob Cowing (a wide receiver) are now signed to their four-year rookie deals. With Green being selected at No. 64, his contract will not be fully guaranteed. Last year’s second-round closer — Broncos wide receiver Marvin Mims, who arrived at No. 63 — received two fully guaranteed years and no guarantees into Year 3.
Although this 49ers draft is best known for being the first since 2021 to feature a first-rounder, Green is the team’s first second-round selection since 2022. The Florida State alum operated as a starter for two seasons, earning second-team All-ACC acclaim last year. The 49ers appear set to attempt to plug in the 6-foot corner into the slot role.
Since letting K’Waun Williams walk in 2022, the 49ers have been unable to find a steady slot presence. Logan Ryan ended up in the role to close last season; the veteran DB has since retired. The 49ers had hoped 2023 free agent signing Isaiah Oliver would fill the void alongside perimeter starters Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir, but he did not end up doing so and has since been released. Oliver caught on with the Jets.
While the 49ers have a host of young corners and veteran Isaac Yiadom on their roster and carry the option of moving Lenoir inside on passing downs, the team may still want a full-time slot cog. Though, 49ers GM John Lynch said the team views Green as a player capable of helping the cause inside or outside. With Lenoir and Ward in contract years, the team may need to turn to this year’s No. 64 overall pick as a regular by 2025 at the latest.