The San Francisco 49ers made a flurry of roster moves on Saturday ahead of their matchup versus the Arizona Cardinals in Week 12.
Needing depth on the defense, San Francisco waived quarterback Adrian Martinez
and added Clelin Ferrell to the 53-man roster from the practice squad. They also elevated cornerback Eli Apple from the practice squad, which could indicate that Deommodore Lenoir may not be able to go on Sunday after sustaining a calf injury during practice this week.
With Brock Purdy fully healthy and slated to start, Mac Jones will be his backup, so Martinez’s 53-man roster spot was expendable. He could return to the practice squad.
Ferrell has played in the last two games for the 49ers after being signed to the practice squad. With the team’s injuries along the defensive line, he’s now a part of the 53-man roster and will suit up once again on Sunday.
Apple has played in only one game for the 49ers this season, seeing three special teams snaps back in Week 4 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
If Lenoir can’t go, the 49ers could look to Darrell Luter Jr. on the outside opposite Renardo Green, so there’d be some more special teams depth needed at cornerback. That could be the case with Apple’s elevation.
San Francisco has a fully healthy group this week outside of Lenoir’s injury, which is a good sign against the Cardinals.
Arizona, on the other hand, will be without wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., linebacker Baron Browning, cornerback Will Johnson, offensive lineman Jonah Williams, linebacker Mack Wilson, safety Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, and offensive lineman Hayden Connor, while several others are questionable.
As a result, they made a number of roster moves on Saturday. They activated linebacker BJ Ojulari off the Physically Unable To Perform (PUP) list, signed linebacker Jared Bartlett to their 53-man roster, and elevated tight end Pharoah Brown and cornerback Darren Hill from the practice squad for Sunday’s game.
Kickoff is slated for 1:05 p.m. at State Farm Stadium.
