The San Francisco 49ers are bringing back a familiar face to help them on their stretch run.
“49ers WR KhaDarel Hodge, recovered from the knee injury that led to his release with an injury settlement, is back with the team on the practice squad,” ESPN’s Nick Wagoner wrote on his official X account on Monday.
Hodge played the first three regular-season games with the 49ers this season. San Francisco is coming off its bye week and brings its 6-1 record into a Week 9 home game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
“49ers signed WR KhaDarel Hodge to the practice squad,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on his official X account on Monday.
“49ers signed KhaDarel Hodge as replacement for Naquan Jones on practice squad,” NFL reporter Aaron Wilson wrote on his official X account.
49ers Faced ‘Difficult’ Roster Decision With Hodge
The Athletic’s Vic Tafur singled out Hodge as the most “difficult decision” for the 49ers on the 53-man roster before the regular season — a former special teams Pro Bowler who could provide depth in 2 facets of the game.
In Tafur’s 53-man roster projection, Hodge ended up on the outside looking in with the 49ers keeping Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel, De’Zhaun Stribling, Jordan Watkins, Demarcus Robinson, and Christian Kirk.
If you know anything about the 49ers, you know that group of wide receivers has been the walking wounded — Evans, Samuel, Stribling, Robinson, and Kirk have all missed multiple games due to injuries.
“I was trying to find a spot for Hodge, a favorite of former Falcons head coach and current Niners defensive coordinator Raheem Morris,” Tafur wrote on August 18. “He is very good on special teams and a physical receiver. But I wound up cutting him and Cowing, the speedster whom it seems the 49ers have been waiting on forever. The 49ers roll with two vets — Robinson has been too good in camp, and Purdy loves him, while Kirk has been out with a calf injury, and it seems like the staff told him to take his time coming back.”
Small-College Beginnings to Lengthy NFL Career
Hodge, 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, began his college career as a quarterback at Alcorn State in 2013 but left after a redshirt year to spend 1 season at Hinds Community College, where he switched positions to wide receiver.
From there, Hodge played 3 seasons at HBCU Prairie View A&M, earning All-SWAC honors as a senior in 2017 with 48 receptions for 844 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Hodge went undrafted in 2018 — his 4.58-second 40-yard dash time is considered slow for NFL wide receivers — but caught on with the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent, played 14 regular-season games, and appeared in a Super Bowl loss to the New England Patriots.
From there, Hodge spent 2 seasons with the Cleveland Browns and 1 season with the Detroit Lions before finding a more permanent home with the Atlanta Falcons, where he spent 5 seasons from 2022 to 2025, including his lone Pro Bowl nod.
While Hodge has never put up big numbers catching passes, teams have found him darn near impossible to keep off the field in some capacity — he’s played in 118 career games and played in every regular-season game from 2021 to 2024.
San Francisco 49ers Bring Back Veteran WR & Pro Bowler