49ers promote LB Eric Kendricks, place Tatum Bethune on IR ahead of playoffs
The San Francisco 49ers signed veteran linebacker Eric Kendricks from the practice squad to the active roster and placed starting linebacker Tatum Bethune (groin) on injured reserve on Wednesday, ending his season ahead of the playoffs.
The 49ers (12-5) play the host Philadelphia Eagles (11-6) on Sunday in the NFC wild-card round. San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan said that Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams (hamstring) and wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (knee) will not practice Wednesday.
Shanahan had said on Monday that both players will be evaluated throughout the week after missing the regular-season finale last Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks.
Trent Williams, 37, last played in the 42-38 home win over the Chicago Bears on Dec. 28. A 12-time Pro Bowl selection and three-time first-team All-Pro, Williams started all 16 games he has played this season -- 92% of the offensive snap counts -- and 203 of 204 regular-season games in his career for Washington (2010-18) and San Francisco (2020-present).
Pearsall, 25, aggravated his PCL injury against the Bears. He has 36 receptions on 53 targets for 528 yards and no touchdowns in nine games (all starts) this season.
He has 67 career receptions for 928 yards and three touchdowns in 20 games (13 starts) since 2024.
Bethune, 24, had seven tackles, one sack and one pass defensed in the 13-3 home loss to the Seahawks. He finished the season with 94 tackles, one sack, four tackles for loss and four passes defensed in 14 games (eight starts).
San Francisco selected Bethune in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft. He played in 11 games and made one start as a rookie in 2024, totaling seven tackles.
Kendricks, 33, has played in the last three games (one start) since signing Nov. 26 with the 49ers, making six tackles in 45 defensive snaps.
"I'm real confident in Eric," Shanahan said. "He's been here long enough. These games he's gotten in the last couple of weeks, he's done a good job, and I'm glad that we got him for the situation."
For his career, Kendricks has 1,180 tackles, 21.5 sacks, 11 interceptions -- two returned for touchdowns -- 60 passes defensed, eight forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries. He has played 150 regular-season games (143 starts) for the Minnesota Vikings (2015-22), Los Angeles Chargers (2023), Dallas Cowboys (2024) and 49ers. He was a first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection in 2019.
San Francisco is cautiously awaiting the possible return of star linebacker Fred Warner from rehabilitation for what initially was expected to be season-ending surgery. Warner fractured and dislocated his right ankle in a road loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Oct. 12.
The 49ers' linebacker room includes health issues for starting weakside linebacker Dee Winters (ankle) and reserve Luke Gifford (quad).
In other moves on Wednesday, the 49ers signed linebacker Kyzir White to the practice squad, linebacker Milo Eifler to a reserve/future contract and designated wide receiver Jacob Cowing to return from injured reserve, opening his practice window.