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Kevin Givens

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/4/24

December 4th, 2024 at 8:25pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Kansas City Chiefs

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

  • Designated for return: LB Dyontae Johnson

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

Spencer Shrader‘s hamstring injury will knock him out for the next four weeks, and with Harrison Butker eventually set to return, the fill-in kicker’s stint with the Chiefs has likely come to an end. Temporarily, the team will turn to their third kicker in Matthew Wright. The veteran filled in for Shrader this past weekend, connecting on four of his five field goal tries.

Former Dolphins second-round pick Cam Smith landed on IR today, likely ending his disappointing sophomore campaign. The cornerback did get more run in 2024 vs. his rookie season, but he was still limited to only 16 tackles in six games thanks to a pair of IR stints. This time, it’s a shoulder issue that will put the South Carolina product on the shelf.

Saints safety Roderic Teamer was hit with a three-game ban today for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston. Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.football notes that Teamer’s unpaid ban is “the conclusion of his DUI arrest” in 2023 (when he was with the Raiders). Teamer was limited to only a pair of appearances this season, with all of his snaps coming on special teams.

Titans lineman Jaelyn Duncan returned to practice today after missing the past six games while nursing a hamstring injury. The former sixth-round pick could actually see a significant role upon his return, with Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com noting that the second-year player could get a look at right tackle once he’s fully healthy.

49ers To Open S Talanoa Hufanga’s Practice Window, Place RB Jordan Mason On IR

December 2nd, 2024 at 3:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

As injuries once again define a 49ers NFC title defense, the team still has some silver linings in the form of defenders reentering the equation. Talanoa Hufanga is on his way back.

Down with a wrist injury for months, Hufanga is set to practice this week, Kyle Shanahan said. After rehabbing the ACL tear sustained on Thanksgiving night last year, Hufanga suffered a significant wrist malady that limited him to just two games thus far this season. The 49ers, however, had not ruled him out. Now in the IR-return window, the All-Pro safety has three weeks to return.

With Hufanga joining Dre Greenlaw in a return window from an injured list, Jordan Mason is heading to IR. The Christian McCaffrey backup suffered a high ankle sprain Sunday night, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. The 49ers lost McCaffrey to another injury — a PCL issue — that is expected to shut him down. Mason is now out until at least Week 18, leaving rookie Isaac Guerendo as the 49ers’ lead back for the foreseeable future.

Hufanga, who is in a contract year, will not be 100% if he returns to action. Shanahan said (via the Bay Area News Group’s Cam Inman) the standout DB still needs support for his injured wrist. With a potential free agency run coming, Hufanga will attempt to give it a go. Counting last season’s three playoff games, the former fifth-round pick has missed 20 of the 49ers’ past 22 contests.

Conflicting reports emerged earlier this season about whether Hufanga would return. An October offering suggested the 49ers were not counting on him to return, but the team had not ruled it out. San Francisco will at least see how he looks in practice. The injuries to Hufanga and Greenlaw played a key role in the 49ers falling just short in an overtime Super Bowl loss last season; for the first time since Hufanga’s November 2023 ACL injury, both will be back at work. Though, this comes at a dire point for a team in one of the worst Super Bowl hangovers in recent memory. A three-game losing streak has dropped the 49ers to 5-7.

The 49ers already played without All-Pros Nick Bosa, Trent Williams and Brandon Aiyuk on Sunday night. All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner, who is playing through an ankle fracture, left the game as well. Recently extended cornerback starter Deommodore Lenoir missed Week 13, while Brock Purdy returned after missing Week 12 due to injury. McCaffrey joins Mason in heading to IR, and Shanahan said defensive tackle Kevin Givens suffered a pectoral tear and will join the RBs on the injured list.

Beating out Elijah Mitchell for the backup running back job, Mason became a vital piece for the 49ers during McCaffrey’s Achilles rehab. The former UDFA held the NFL rushing lead for a short span this season, producing three 100-yard games over his first four. He paces the 49ers with 789 rushing yards and three TDs. Mason can be retained beyond this season, as the Georgia Tech alum is eligible for restricted free agency next year. Mitchell is on season-ending IR.

He of a sub-4.4-second 40-yard dash at this year’s Combine, Guerendo has shown flashes as a Mason backup. The third-round pick is the only healthy back on San Francisco’s 53-man roster right now, a situation that will see changes made soon. Patrick Taylor is the only RB on the team’s practice squad.

Givens has been with the 49ers for six seasons, working as a rotational player for most of that time. He has a career-high 3.5 sacks this season but will join DT Javon Hargrave among the expanding 49ers’ IR contingent. Playing out a $2MM deal, Givens is among the many 49ers defenders headed toward free agency.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/13/24

March 13th, 2024 at 9:18pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

49ers Re-Sign DT Kevin Givens To One-Year Deal

March 13th, 2023 at 6:33pm CST by Ely Allen

Despite the star power the 49ers are planning to bring over from Philadelphia in Javon Hargrave, San Francisco has no plans of allowing its depth at the position to suffer. One of those moves to secure depth was re-signing defensive tackle Kevin Givens.

An undrafted free agent out of Penn State from 2019, Givens has slowly earned the trust and confidence of the coaching staff in San Francisco. After factoring into the team’s defense as a rotation piece off the bench for much of his first three years, Givens was given plenty of starting opportunities in 2022.

With injuries plaguing the position room and holding players like Javon Kinlaw and Arik Armstead to a combined 15 total games this past year, Givens heard his named called. Givens started 11 games for the 49ers this season in their absence. He could’ve started a few more if not for a few games missed with a sprained MCL. He matched or tallied career-highs in total tackles (20), tackles for loss (7), quarterback hits (3), and sacks (2.0). Givens struggled in run defense, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), but graded out much better as a pass rusher.

Givens doesn’t provide the 49ers with a top-level of play on the defensive line, but the team isn’t asking him to give that. They expect that high-level of play from their top draft picks and acquisitions like Hargrave, and Givens is expected to fill in as an injury or rotation replacement without missing a beat. Givens provides that for San Francisco, and his success when called into action this season has been rewarded with another one-year deal.

Latest On Dre Greenlaw, 49ers Injuries

January 3rd, 2023 at 8:26pm CST by Ben Levine

A pair of 49ers players suffered injuries during Week 17, but it sounds like the organization got good news on the duo. Coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters that guard Aaron Banks and linebacker Dre Greenlaw won’t miss much time with their respective injuries.

“As bad as both of them (injuries) looked, (we) didn’t know if it would be for the whole season or not,” Shanahan said (via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area). “Feel like we got some good news on that so far.”

Brooks is dealing with ankle and knee sprains that will force him to miss the regular season finale, but the offensive lineman is expected to be back for San Francisco’s first playoff game. The 2021 second-round pick has settled into a starting role for the 49ers this season, starting all 16 of his appearances. Pro Football Focus ranks Brooks 40th among 79 qualifying offensive guards, with the site giving him particularly good grades for his pass-blocking ability.

Greenlaw exited Sunday’s win over the Raiders with a back injury, and while the player still hasn’t gotten a full evaluation, he’s not expected to miss a whole lot of time. After being limited to only three games in 2021, Greenlaw has stormed back this year, leading the 49ers with 127 tackles. PFF ranks Greenlaw seventh among 84 qualifying linebackers, including a top-five mark in coverage.

Elsewhere on the injury front, Shanahan recently revealed that defensive tackle Kevin Givens should be back for the start of the playoffs, per Maiocco on Twitter. The defensive lineman hasn’t played since suffering a knee injury in Week 14.

49ers Expect Deebo Samuel To Return In Regular Season

December 13th, 2022 at 3:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

DECEMBER 13: Shanahan expects Samuel to miss around three weeks, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. Considering the trouble the 49ers have had with MCL sprains, a possible Week 18 return would represent a big victory for the team. The 49ers face the Seahawks, Commanders and Raiders over the next three weeks. They close the regular season with a home game against the Cardinals.

DECEMBER 12: Deebo Samuel will miss time for the 49ers, and an update Monday indicated the 2021 All-Pro is dealing with multiple injuries. But the team is expecting him to come back before the regular season ends.

The recently extended wideout/running back moonlighter suffered an MCL sprain and a sprained ankle, Matt Barrows of The Athletic tweets. While the 49ers have encountered extensive trouble with MCL sprains this season, it appears Samuel has run into a fairly mild one.

Kyle Shanahan mentioned Sunday this could be a high ankle sprain, but reports Monday have left the word “high” out of the equation. High ankle sprains can linger for several weeks, and the 49ers have seen MCL sprains sideline multiple players for more than a month this year — Elijah Mitchell, Azeez Al-Shaair, Colton McKivitz. Samuel suffering both an MCL sprain and a high ankle issue would seemingly threaten his playoff availability, so it certainly represents good news a regular-season return is expected.

Samuel has a history of significant injuries, having suffered a foot fracture during the 2020 offseason and later that year running into multiple bouts of hamstring trouble. While 2020 effectively turned into a lost season for Samuel (and other 49ers), he bounced back to play 19 games last season. Samuel, 26, zoomed to All-Pro status in 2021, providing tremendous help to the 49ers’ backfield in addition to his receiving duties. After a 59-carry 2021, the former second-round pick has logged 41 carries this year. He suffered the injury on a handoff up the middle.

The 49ers placed a considerable bet on Samuel this offseason, inking him to a three-year extension worth $71.55MM. This situation transformed in the team’s favor, after Samuel requested an offseason trade. He returned to the team and is pairing with fellow stars George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey in a rare three-All-Pro skill-position armada. Kittle and McCaffrey have extensive injury pasts as well, giving the 49ers risks to manage weekly.

San Francisco has lost Samuel and Jimmy Garoppolo over its past two games. The team is not expected to place Garoppolo on IR, due to the faint hope the veteran passer can return late in the playoffs and its IR situation having become complicated. Samuel should not be expected to land on IR, either, given the prospect he could return within the next month. The 49ers (9-4) are now up two games on the Seahawks in the NFC West. They already routed the surprising contenders in Week 2, when Garoppolo replaced an injured Trey Lance. A win Thursday would effectively lock up the division for San Francisco.

The 49ers also received good news on Brock Purdy, who battled through an oblique injury in Week 14. They are calling the rookie quarterback “day to day.” The team did lose defensive lineman Kevin Givens to an MCL sprain; Shahanan said the fourth-year contributor will be out a few weeks. Givens has worked as a starter in place of Javon Kinlaw, who remains on IR. The team has used the former as an 11-game starter this season.

An ex-UDFA, Givens has remained in the lineup since Arik Armstead‘s recent return. The 49ers are already down D-lineman Hassan Ridgeway; this Givens issue will further thin out their D-line interior. The team, which also lost veteran backup cornerback and special-teamer Dontae Johnson to an ACL tear, has maintained its No. 1 defensive ranking despite a spate of injuries. T.Y. McGill remains in the picture at D-tackle, but given the issues affecting Ridgeway and Givens, it should be expected the 49ers will make a move here soon.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/10/22

March 10th, 2022 at 9:15pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor NFL transactions:

Buffalo Bills

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

  • Signed: OL Brandon Murphy

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

49ers Place S Jaquiski Tartt On IR

October 30th, 2021 at 4:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

More bad news for the 49ers’ defense. Shortly after Kyle Shanahan confirmed season-ending surgery was on tap for Javon Kinlaw, they placed the second-year defensive tackle on IR. Jaquiski Tartt will join Kinlaw on San Francisco’s injured list.

Tartt should not be expected to miss the rest of the season, having suffered a knee contusion against the Colts. But the veteran safety is down for at least the next three games. A seventh-year veteran, Tartt has made 56 regular-season starts but has dealt with injuries for most of his career.

This is a familiar transaction for Tartt, who missed time due to injury in each of the 49ers’ past four seasons. A broken arm moved Tartt to IR in 2017, and a shoulder malady shelved Tartt for part of the 2018 season. A rib injury cost Tartt four games in 2019, though he returned for the 49ers’ three playoff contests, and a turf toe bout ended his 2020 campaign. The turf toe issue dragged into this summer’s training camp, with Tartt beginning on the 49ers’ active/PUP list. He returned in time for Week 1, but more injury trouble has intervened.

Overall, Tartt missed 28 games from 2017-20. These setbacks have not shaken the 49ers’ confidence in Tartt. They extended the former seventh-round pick in 2018 and gave him another new deal this year. The most recent Tartt contract only runs through season’s end, however.

Tartt joins Kinlaw and linebacker Dre Greenlaw on IR. The 49ers will also be without Dee Ford and starting linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair for Week 8. Rotational defensive lineman Kevin Givens is back on San Francisco’s active roster, however, after his IR stay. The 49ers also promoted tight end Jordan Matthews and safety Kai Nacua from their practice squad.

NFL Minor Transactions: 10/27/21

October 27th, 2021 at 6:30pm CST by Ben Levine

All of today’s minor transactions in one place:

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/25/21

September 25th, 2021 at 4:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

The weekly Saturday bunch of minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

  • Promoted: WR Juwan Green

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

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