The San Francisco 49ers on Thursday made a trio of roster moves involving wide receivers while promoting WR Brandin Cooks to their active roster. WR KhaDarel Hodge was released and WR Malik Turner joined the practice squad in a pair of corresponding moves.
Cooks spent a week on the 49ers' practice squad before his promotion. He was originally added when the team lost WR Demarcus Robinson to a high ankle sprain. Now with Mike Evans nursing a rib injury San Francisco pushed Cooks up to the active roster where he'll likely play a significant role Sunday vs. the Denver Broncos.
A week ago the 49ers rolled out Evans, Hodge, Deebo Samuel, Jacob Cowing and Jordan Watkins at WR. Hodge took 30 snaps at WR vs. the Arizona Cardinals. Cowing had 17 and Watkins had just
15.
Cooks gives the 49ers another veteran to lean on while they try to navigate life with their top five WRs from the preseason roster all injured. Even if Evans is able to suit up against Denver we may still see San Francisco lean heavily on Cooks. He caught 24 balls for 279 yards in 15 games with the New Orleans Saints and Buffalo Bills last season.
It'll be interesting to see how long Cooks spends on the roster. WR Christian Kirk could return from IR as early as Week 5, and Robinson is only due to miss a few more weeks if his three-to-six week timeline is still intact.
Turner rejoins the 49ers for a fourth stint. He spent time with them in the preseason and on their practice squad in 2022. In 2024 he spent time on the practice squad again. He was with San Francisco in the preseason again this year and got released at final cuts. His special teams experience may get him elevated to the roster for Sunday's game to replace the 37 special teams snaps Hodge played over the last three weeks.
More 49ers: 49ers GM has update on return timelines for injured stars on OL, DL
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers news: WR Brandin Cooks promoted, veteran WR released
