The Minnesota Vikings saw the San Francisco 49ers poach one of their practice squad defensive tackles Wednesday.
NFL insider Tom Pelissero reported the 49ers are signing defensive tackle Naquan Jones to their active roster. Jones was previously on the Vikings practice squad.
“The 49ers are signing veteran DT Naquan Jones off the Vikings practice squad, per source,” wrote Pelissero.
Standing at 6-foot-3 and 313 pounds, Jones is in his sixth NFL season since joining the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent. Jones spent parts of three seasons with the Titans. The 28-year-old has also experienced stints with the Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, Los Angeles Chargers, and Houston Texans in addition to the Vikings and now 49ers.
The Vikings added Jones to their practice squad on September 1 after the Texans waived the defensive tackle at the NFL roster deadline in August.
In 60 NFL games, Jones has posted 102 combined tackles, including 12 for loss. He’s also registered 6.5 sacks.
49ers Poach DT Naquan Jones From Vikings Practice Squad
NFL rules enable teams the option to add practice squad players to their active roster who are about to be signed by another club. But clearly, the Vikings elected not to do that.
Instead, Minnesota will roll with Jalen Redmond, Levi Drake Rodriguez, Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, Caleb Banks, Domonique Orange and Elijah Williams as the defensive linemen on their active roster. Meanwhile, the 49ers have identified Jones as a veteran who could help them overcome multiple injuries at defensive tackle.
Despite going undrafted, Jones started five games as a rookie for the Titans. In 13 games overall, he registered 29 combined tackles, including four for loss with 2.5 sacks in 2021.
Jones played 32 games for the Titans. That’s more than all his other teams combined. But he also dressed for 16 contests in Arizona, eight with the Chargers and four in Houston. Jones has started eight games in his career, all of which came with the Titans and Cardinals.
In Minnesota, Jones didn’t get an opportunity to play in the first two weeks of 2026.
Vikings Open Roster, Practice Squad Spots
The Vikings may be making a pair of reported signings official Wednesday.
On Tuesday, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported the Vikings are signing punter Johnny Hekker with the team’s current punter Brett Thorson dealing with a hamstring injury. Furthermore, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported Tuesday the Vikings plan to sign Jaret Patterson with running back Jordan Mason also banged up.
Also Tuesday, the Vikings cleared two roster spots with the release of three players (one of those players was on injured reserve). So even if Minnesota officially announces the signings of Hekker and Patterson on Wednesday, the team has another practice squad spot available with Jones’s departure.
In addition to running backs and punters, the Vikings had two linebackers try out for the team Tuesday. Minnesota could potentially add either linebacker to the vacant practice squad spot.
Given the loss along the defensive line, though, it would also make sense for the Vikings to find another defensive tackle for their practice squad.
Vikings Lose 313-Pound Defensive Tackle to 49ers: Report