San Francisco 49ers News & Rumors

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/4/25

With lots of roster movement surrounding the trade deadline, practice squads needed rearranging, as well. Here are today’s practice squad updates:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

The Texans are bringing Wright on as an emergency option as regular kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn works through an injury. Wright has plenty of experience in this role as this will be his fourth team this year alone.

Kyle Shanahan Gives Brock Purdy Vote Of Confidence

While 49ers backup quarterback Mac Jones continued a resurgent 2025 in a 34-24 win over the Giants in Week 9, he will not play his way into the team’s starting job. Head coach Kyle Shanahan made it clear on Monday that Jones will return to a No. 2 role when starter Brock Purdy is ready to come back from a toe injury.

Asked if Jones’ play has allowed the 49ers to be more cautious with Purdy, Shanahan said (via Matt Barrows of The Athletic): “They’re not related. This is Brock’s team. When Brock’s good to go and everything and can play like Brock, there’s no decision to be made.” 

After going 15th overall to the Patriots in the 2021 draft, Jones finished second in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting and helped the Pats to a playoff berth. The Alabama product was unable to replicate his first-season output with the Patriots or the Jaguars from 2022-24, though, leading him to ink a two-year, $7MM contract with the 49ers last offseason.

Jones reportedly turned down richer offers to function as Purdy’s backup, but choosing San Francisco has worked out well for him and the team. With Purdy having missed seven of the 49ers’ nine games, including five in a row, Jones has led the 6-3 club to a 5-2 record in his starts. The 27-year-old has completed 67.2% of passes for 1,832 yards, 10 touchdowns, and five interceptions in the process. He ranks a solid 15th in the league in QBR.

After picking up his fourth win in Week 7, Jones earned $400K in incentives, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. He collected another $100K for the 49ers’ Week 9 victory, which will continue to be the case as long as he plays at least 25% of offensive snaps, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN. Jones will rake in another $550K if he plays 50% of offensive snaps this season and the 49ers earn a playoff berth.

It’s unclear whether Purdy will play this Sunday against the NFC West rival Rams (6-2), who lost at home to Jones and the 49ers in Week 5. Regardless, it’s unsurprising that Shanahan is continuing to back Purdy, one of the team’s greatest individual success stories during his eight-plus years as the head coach.

Purdy quickly went from Mr. Irrelevant – the last overall pick in the 2022 draft – to establishing himself as a high-end starter. The 49ers went 17-4 with Purdy at the helm through the 2023 regular season, which ended with an overtime loss to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII.

San Francisco failed to make the playoffs during an injury-plagued 2024 in which Purdy’s numbers declined. However, that didn’t stop the 49ers from signing the 25-year-old to a mammoth extension last May. Just months removed from securing a five-year, $265MM deal that includes $181MM in guarantees, Purdy is in no danger of a demotion to clipboard-holding duties. The only question is when he’ll be healthy enough to start again.

49ers DE Mykel Williams Suffers Torn ACL

NOVEMBER 3: Tests confirmed that Williams tore his ACL, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, which will sideline him for the rest of the year and likely impact his sophomore year in the NFL as well. Given a typical recovery timeline of at least nine months, Williams may not be ready to play by the beginning of the 2026 season.

NOVEMBER 2: The 49ers earned a win in Week 9 but they may have suffered yet another major injury on defense along the way. Mykel Williams‘ rookie campaign may be over.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said (via Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News) the team fears Williams suffered an ACL tear in today’s win against the Giants. The first-rounder went down with roughly four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter of today’s game, and a season-ending absence could now be in store.

Further testing – including an MRI – will take place to confirm a diagnosis. When coaches express concern about major injuries such as this, however, it is rare the worst-case scenario winds up being avoided. If that holds true for Williams, San Francisco’s pass rush will be even further shorthanded for the second half of the campaign.

The team is already without Nick Bosa, who suffered an ACL tear of his own in September. Since then, linebacker Fred Warner has gone down with an ankle injury which threatens to keep him sidelined for the rest of the season. If Williams – who has served as a full-time starter during his rookie campaign – is indeed out for the stretch run and the playoffs, the 49ers could be forced to an even larger extent to add another pass rusher ahead of the trade deadline (having already acquired Keion White from the Patriots).

The team has been connected to making at least one additional acquisition in that regard, with links emerging to Trey Hendrickson in particular. A blockbuster along those lines would be a surprise, but San Francisco was still among the teams to watch on the trade front for an EDGE addition prior to today. That will especially be the case if Williams is sidelined.

The 21-year-old notched just one sack and three QB pressures during his first eight appearances. Williams nevertheless logged a 68% snap share, and that was set to continue (particularly while Bryce Huff recovers from a hamstring ailment). The 49ers have the cap space to afford a rental trade addition and at 6-3 they could easily adopt a buyer’s stance leading up to the November 4 deadline. Out of necessity, a move could be in store shortly.

Trade Rumors: Dolphins, Jennings, Sweat, Patriots, Chargers, Bills

We’ve seen a bit of a change of trade deadline strategy in Miami since the departure of former general manager Chris Grier. With Grier, the Dolphins were not planning on being very active at the trade deadline. There was some thought that interim GM Champ Kelly would be a bit more open to hearing offers, and after some initial refusal of that notion, the team has changed its tune.

We’ve seen this a bit in rumors, as edge rushers Jaelan Phillips, Bradley Chubb, and Matt Judon have been the subject of some calls, and the Dolphins have even seemed more open to the idea of trading wide receiver Jaylen Waddle. According to Armando Salguero of OutKick, team owner Stephen Ross “approved of” — and even encouraged — Kelly selling off valuable players, if he could.

Additionally, per Salguero, Ross informed head coach Mike McDaniel that his job was safe for the season and would continue to be safe “if he can rally the team.” It’s anyone’s guess how McDaniel is expected to improve the team’s performance as the front office auctions off its best players, but that appears to be the challenge posed to the fourth-year head coach. This challenge puts particular stress on McDaniel’s handling of the quarterback position moving forward, following rumors that Tua Tagovailoa could face a demotion from his starting role.

Here are a few other rumors as we have under 48 hours remaining until the trade deadline:

  • 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings has worked his way up from the practice squad in his rookie season to a full-time starting role in his fifth year with the team. Jennings sought an extension in the offseason, and he threatened a trade request in order to gain leverage in negotiations. Some teams reportedly called at the time, but with so many injuries at the position already, San Francisco rebuffed them. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, those same teams appear to be interested again. Head coach Kyle Shanahan has claimed he “would be very surprised” if Jennings gets dealt, mostly because they’ve yet to see the return from injury this year of Brandon Aiyuk. Rapoport suggests that, aside from that, Jennings wouldn’t be off the table.
  • We’ve already reported that the Titans appear to be open for business in the trade market with every player except rookie No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward and starting defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. Any other player is seemingly available. Some have been surprised that this apparently includes last year’s second-round defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat, but Terry McCormick of TitansInsider.com sees the reasoning. Per McCormick, the team has “not been enamored with him” so far. If someone with interest in the 24-year-old out of Texas comes with the right price, it sounds like Tennessee would be willing to part with him.
  • With Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson dealing with his recent toe injury, and with New England’s rushers underwhelming so far this year overall, rumors have made the rounds that the team could be looking at the position in the trade market. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels attempted to silence those rumors, per Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald, telling the media, “I think we have all the answers we need.” With Stevenson out today, the Patriots leaned on rookie second-round pick TreVeyon Henderson and RB3 Terrell Jennings against Atlanta. They also recently signed veteran D’Ernest Johnson to the practice squad and called him up for the game. Despite no single back averaging more than 35 rushing yards per game this season, McDaniels is apparently comfortable with his stable.
  • On Saturday, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported that the Chargers were “exploring potential offensive line additions” on the trade market. If they weren’t before, they sure are now. Already dealing with a season-ending injury to left tackle Rashawn Slater and injuries this week to right guard Mekhi Becton and backup tackle Austin Deculus, Los Angeles saw its other original starter Joe Alt and replacement starter Bobby Hart exit today’s game with injuries. Down to their third options at both tackle spots, the Chargers may need to get active if they plan on continuing their push for the playoffs.
  • In regard to the Bills‘ pursuit of wide receiver help through the trade market, while a specific name to add hasn’t yet emerged, another name seemingly has. According to Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic, if Buffalo makes an addition via trade and a corresponding move is needed to fit them on the 53-man roster, depth cornerback Brandon Codrington would be the likeliest cut candidate.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/1/25

Here are today’s minor moves and practice squad callups for the ninth weekend of the NFL season:

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

The Steelers are getting Harrison back at a crucial time. Fellow linebacker Cole Holcomb has been ruled out this weekend with an illness — as has safety Chuck Clark, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network — and Harrison should be able to reinforce the group. He has plenty of experience playing next to starter Patrick Queen from their time together in Baltimore, so perhaps he’ll be able to step in and contribute right away.

The Chargers continue to see their running backs room plagued with injury. Haskins joins Omarion Hampton and Najee Harris on injured reserve. Johnson and Patterson will suit up tomorrow to provide some depth behind lone survivor Kimani Vidal.

With Terry McLaurin once again set to miss time, Burks, the newly signed p-squad addition, will make his Washington debut. Also a newly signed p-squad addition, Lewis will make his Denver debut this weekend. If he sees game time, 2025 will officially be Lewis’ 20th season in the NFL.

After missing the last three games, Gross-Matos appeared to be close to returning to play. According to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports, the 27-year-old re-injured his hamstring at practice on Thursday and will now miss another four games.

For Leota in New Orleans, Mosby in Green Bay, Sermon in Pittsburgh, Zakelj in San Francisco, and both Proche and Watkins in Tennessee, this Sunday will be their third and final standard gameday practice squad elevation on their current deals. In order to appear in any more games after this, their respective teams will need to sign them to the active roster.

Edge Rusher Trade Notes: Phillips, Johnson, Patriots, Commanders

Dolphins edge rusher Jaelan Phillips is becoming one of the hottest names on the trade market. Currently playing on the fifth-year option of his rookie deal, Phillips could be well on his way to pricing himself out of Miami through free agency, so the Dolphins could look to get something in return for losing him now via trade.

We identified Phillips as a trade candidate about a month ago. The team received interest on the 26-year-old, though Phillips expressed interest in staying in Miami. It quickly became clear, though, that Phillips was becoming more valuable than his pass rushing teammates, Bradley Chubb and Matt Judon. There’s been speculation that the Ravens would have interest in him, and then more speculation about the Eagles, a team that’s been extremely active in the trade market lately.

According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, Baltimore and Philadelphia aren’t alone in their interest. Russini adds the 49ers to the named list of suitors and suggests that others are calling Miami about their pass rushers, as well. Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer says Phillips is the most likely to be traded among the Chubb/Phillips/Judon trio.

Here are some other nuggets about the pass rusher trade market:

  • As mentioned above, the Eagles have shown interest in Phillips, but they’ve also been inquiring about other pass rushers, like Jets edge rusher Jermaine Johnson. Per Russini, the link makes sense due to the presence of Joe Douglas as a senior personnel director on Philadelphia’s staff. Douglas was the general manager in New York when the Jets drafted Johnson and could be talking the 26-year-old up to his new employers. The Jets, though, are seeking a second-round pick or better in exchange for the former Pro Bowler.
  • Finally, in addition to the Ravens, Eagles, and 49ers, Russini identifies the Patriots and Commanders as teams pursuing pass rushers in the trade market. Specifically, New England is also a team who has been reportedly calling on Phillips in Miami.

Bengals Likely In For Quiet Trade Deadline

Sitting in second place in a winnable AFC North, the 3-5 Bengals let an opportunity to make up ground on the division-leading Steelers slip away last week. Hours before the Steelers fell to 4-3 against the Packers on Sunday night, the Bengals dropped a 39-38 shootout to the Jets, who entered the game 0-7.

The Bengals will have a chance to bounce back Sunday against the Bears in their last game before Tuesday’s trade deadline. Despite dealing with an AC joint sprain in his throwing shoulder, quarterback Joe Flacco is expected to start.

Regardless of the outcome against Chicago, it appears the Bengals are in for a quiet deadline. They’re “highly unlikely to make a move” to bring in more outside talent after already acquiring Flacco from the Browns last month, according to Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic. The Bengals also received a sixth-round pick in the Flacco deal, but they parted with a fifth-rounder in return.

The team took a flier on Flacco in a season-saving effort after losing starter Joe Burrow to a toe injury and seeing backup signal-caller Jake Browning perform poorly in his place. Cincinnati is “extremely hesitant to ever surrender future picks,” Dehner writes, making it unlikely that it will cough up even more draft capital in the next few days.

On paper, a loss to the Bears could make the Bengals more likely to sell. With that in mind, superstar pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, linebacker Logan Wilson, and cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt are on the radar of contending teams. The Rams, 49ers, Lions, Colts, and Eagles are among the clubs that have made calls on those players, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports. It appears they’ll have to look elsewhere, though.

Hendrickson is a pending free agent who would bring back a quality return in a trade, but Dehner dismisses the possibility of the Bengals dealing him. They’ve shown no willingness to punt a season in early November to acquire future draft choices, per Dehner. That would rule out a Hendrickson trade.

The Bengals have at least given some consideration to parting with Wilson, Albert Breer of SI.com relays. With rookies Demetrius Knight and Barrett Carter eating into his playing time, Wilson requested a deal out of Cincinnati last week. He’s probably not going to get his way, though, with Dehner pointing to his pricey contract (he’s under wraps through 2027 on a four-year, $36MM extension) and his role in the Bengals’ defense as reasons why he’ll stay put. There’s a better chance of the Bengals getting rid of Wilson after the season than during it.

Like Hendrickson and Wilson, Dehner expects Taylor-Britt to finish the season in Cincinnati. The free agent-to-be was a healthy scratch in a win over the Steelers in Week 7, but he returned to play 76% of defensive snaps against the Jets. The Bengals still value him as their No. 3 corner over their options.

While a Burrow return sometime in December would be a best-case scenario, the Bengals will likely need to stay in the playoff race for that to become a realistic possibility. For better or worse, it doesn’t appear that their roster will undergo any significant changes in the meantime.

NFL Minor Transactions: 10/30/25

Today’s minor moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Cincinnati Bengals

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

  • Signed off Dolphins’ practice squad: S John Saunders Jr.

Tennessee Titans

  • Claimed off waivers (from 49ers): G Drew Moss

After trading safety Kyle Dugger earlier this week, the Patriots have added some depth at the position, as the team snagged John Saunders Jr. off Miami’s practice squad. The rookie went undrafted out of Ole Miss in this year’s draft, and he quickly found a job with the Dolphins. He’s spent the entire season on Miami’s taxi squad, and now he’s set to make his NFL debut with their division rivals.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/29/25

Here are Wednesday’s minor moves around the NFL:

Dallas Cowboys

Houston Texans

New England Patriots

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Winfrey, Johnson and Payton have each started their 21-day activation periods. Bringing them back into the fold will use up one of their respective teams’ eight IR activations. By contrast, Trice and Haynes were given the designated for return label during roster cuts in August. As a result, their activations have already been accounted for.

49ers Acquire DE Keion White From Patriots

10:29pm: The 49ers did, in fact, end up signing Ferrell to a practice squad deal after today’s workout, per Schultz. Since leaving San Francisco, Ferrell’s seen his fair share of struggles — failing to make Washington’s initial 53-man roster this year then signing to and getting cut from the Chargers’ practice squad — but with so many injuries plaguing the 49ers’ defensive ends room, a familiar face will be a welcome one as Ferrell joins White as new reinforcements.

5:48pm: In need at edge rusher since Nick Bosa suffered a season-ending torn ACL in Week 3, the 49ers have since lost Bryce Huff to a short-term hamstring malady. They are making an effort to upgrade in the meantime, swinging a deal with the Patriots.

The Pats are sending Keion White to the 49ers, veteran insider Jordan Schultz reports. Signed through 2026, White is on a second-round contract. This is a pick-swap agreement, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero. New England will add a 2026 sixth round pick; San Francisco receives White and a 2026 seventh-rounder in a move which is now official.

Months after giving Huff a much-needed fresh start, the 49ers will do the same for White. The former high-end EDGE prospect did not play in Week 8, with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport indicating the Pats were attempting to trade him. Rather than an injury scuttling that, White rested Sunday and is now headed west.

During Jerod Mayo‘s year in charge in 2024, White worked as a 13-game starter. That brought a mixed bag, as the Georgia Tech alum tallied five sacks and 16 QB hits. Those numbers were far better than his rookie-year showing (1/5) in those pass-rushing categories, even as the Pats played most of Bill Belichick‘s finale without then-lead rusher Matt Judon.

This year, White has started just one game. He does not have a sack or a QB hit, being among those to have fallen out of favor under head coach Mike Vrabel. Offseason free agent additions Harold Landry and K’Lavon Chaisson have taken over as the Patriots’ top EDGE players, making White expendable during the first year of the Vrabel regime.

While this might not be the end of the 49ers’ trade effort, the NFC West team had attempted to make an upgrade here for a while. Trey Hendrickson came up as a name the team asked about; the Bengals are not interested in moving the contract-year sack ace. General manager John Lynch confirmed the 49ers were interested in making a move, and the team can add White to its list of in-season EDGE pickups in recent years. The 49ers acquired Chase Young, Randy Gregory and Charles Omenihu via trade in recent seasons, and Huff rejoined defensive coordinator Robert Saleh via trade this offseason.

Huff recorded a career-high 10 sacks when he played under Saleh, then the Jets’ head coach, in 2023. The 27-year-old now leads the 49ers with four sacks this season, but Bosa still ranks second with two despite missing the team’s past five games. With a lack of complements to Huff, the 49ers were in dire need of pass-rushing help. It remains to be seen whether White will provide it, but the 49ers are left to hope a change of scenery will yield positive results.

Before agreeing to land White, the 49ers worked out free agent defensive ends Clelin Ferrell, Casey Toohill, Kingsley Jonathan, and Andrew Farmer on Tuesday, per Matt Barrows of The Athletic. The 49ers have plenty of familiarity with Ferrell, who was a 17-game starter for them in 2023. He finished with 3.5 sacks that year. While the 49ers could still circle back to Ferrell, Toohill, Jonathan, or Farmer, White has emerged as their newest acquisition.

Connor Byrne contributed to this post.