Former All-Pro LB Eric Kendricks could provide needed boost to 49ers defense amid injury issues
The San Francisco 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 and missed two of his four tackle attempts. Kendricks will likely be an upgrade who 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.
Saquon Barkley's 2nd Season With Eagles Has Been Shockingly-Different
The 2025 season has certainly not gone as expected for the Philadelphia Eagles' running game.
Last season, Saquon Barkley had one of the most dominant seasons from a running back in National Football League history. Barkley racked up 2,005 rushing yards in the regular season in 16 games and became the first player in NFL history to tally over 2,500 total rushing yards in a season, including the playoffs.
The 2025 season hasn't been easy, though. Last year, Barkley averaged 125.3 rushing yards per game. This season, he is averaging 62.2 rushing yards per game in 11 games. Last season, Barkley had 1,392 rushing yards in 11 games. This season, he has 684. That has him ranked at No. 14 in the league in the category.
It's been an odd season for Saquon Barkley
Another thing that is pretty shocking is how far Barkley has dropped when it comes to Pro Football Focus grading. Barkley has a 62.7 overall PFF grade, good for 44th among running backs this season.
This has led to some odd takes on social media, specifically in reference to No. 2 running back Tank Bigsby. The 24-year-old has looked explosive in limited opportunities. But even with Barkley struggling, there isn't a world in which he should lose carries to anyone. Bigsby has shown flashes and can be a really good No. 2. He showed that in the last New York Giants game, for example. He had nine carries for 104 yards on Oct. 26. That game, Barkley exited early.
Since then, he has had eight total carries in three games for 49 yards.
One thing that is important to note when it comes to Barkley, and the entire offense overall, is the fact that the offensive line has been banged up all season. Right now, Lane Johnson is out. But he isn't the only one who has been bitten by the injury bug. In fact, each starting lineman has been banged up in some way this season.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni spoke about getting Barkley action earlier in the week.
"Obviously, we want to go out and put our best effort out at every point, and I felt like when I watched the tape, I saw the effort sky high on both sides of the ball (and) on special teams," Sirianni said. "Obviously, they went and they got the win. There are always things that factor into it as far as our determination, our effort. I saw that it was high and we all have to be there. I think, like I said, we were.
"Obviously, Saquon felt something last night and he's got a great pulse for everything. But as you look at the tape -- which obviously after the game, we don't have the luxury of looking at the tape before we go in and talk to you guys, but I felt like the effort was really, really high in that game. Hats off to Dallas, they played a good game and they got us."
At the end of the day, it's easy to look at the team and point fingers in various ways. Barkley hasn't been as productive this season as he was last year, but this is still one of the most talented players in the NFL we're talking about. Things haven't worked out so far this season, but he's the type of player who can flip the narrative.
