Arizona Cardinals

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed defensive end Nick Bosa will miss multiple weeks after injuring his calf before Thursday’s practice.

“We can’t say exactly, but I’m guessing around a few weeks,” Shanahan said of Bosa’s timeline, via David Bonilla of 49erswebzone.com.

The 49ers ruled out Bosa and rookie defensive end Romello Height (hand surgery) for Sunday’s game against the Cardinals. They have been hit hard by injuries in the defensive line.

Defensive tackle C.J. West (knee), defensive end Sam Okuayinonu (foot) and defensive tackle Alfred Collins (patellar tendon) are on injured reserve. Rookie defensive tackle James Thompson Jr. has a high-ankle sprain that will keep him out multiple weeks.

“Losing Bosa was rough yesterday,” Shanahan said. “I mean, losing six out of the 10 D-linemen in the last two weeks that have made our team is a little unusual. I don’t think I’ve been a part of that, so that has been different.”

Bosa returned from a torn ACL in his right knee and played 70 snaps over the first two games. He injured his knee in Week 3 last season, almost exactly a year ago, in a game against the Cardinals.

It is unclear whether Bosa injured his right calf, as Shanahan said he wasn’t sure.

Bosa was warming up before the walkthrough when he injured his calf.

“I know he’s bummed out, but he’ll be back,” Shanahan said.

The 49ers are still deciding whether to place Bosa on injured reserve. Only eight players can return from IR during the season, and the team already has several players on IR who it plans to return to the roster.

“He’s right there at that point, along with a couple of other guys that are all in the same boat,” Shanahan said. “Because of the number we have on [injured reserve], we won’t be able to do all of them. So we’ve got to decide, and we’re just trying to guess which ones will go longer, which ones have the chances of being sooner, and it’s just a guess.

“They’re all really in the same boat, so we’ve got to decide that by tomorrow.”

49ers wide receiver Mike Evans returned to practice Friday, but he is questionable to play Sunday.

Evans’ hip injury kept him out of practice on Wednesday and Thursday.

He has nine catches for 103 yards and a touchdown in two games.

Evans missed nine games in 2025 and three games the previous season after sitting out only nine games over his first 10 seasons.

The 49ers ruled out defensive end Nick Bosa (knee/calf), defensive end Romello Height (hand), wide receiver Demarcus Robinson (ankle) and defensive tackle James Thompson (ankle).

Bosa injured a calf muscle during Thursday’s practice, and he is expected to miss multiple weeks.

Height underwent hand surgery this week, and Robinson and Thompson have high-ankle sprains that could keep them out multiple weeks.

On Thursday, Nick Bosa was added to the injury report with an issue to his knee and calf.

It’s now clear that Bosa suffered a significant injury.

According to a joint report from ESPN and NFL Network, Bosa pulled his calf during Thursday’s practice and is expected to miss a few weeks — beginning with Sunday’s matchup against the Cardinals.

San Francisco is evaluating whether or not to place Bosa on injured reserve.

Bosa did not practice on Wednesday, but that was a scheduled rest day. The team added knee and calf injuries to his listing on Thursday.

Bosa was able to play just three games last year due to an ACL tear.

In the first two contests this season, Bosa registered seven total tackles with two tackles for loss and one QB hit.

Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. has only caught one pass through two games this season. But he doesn’t think he needs to change anything.

Asked if he’s losing confidence, Harrison said he knows he’s preparing the right way, and that’s all that matters.

“Does your confidence come from results or does your confidence come from your process?” Harrison said, via ESPN. “And I think for me it comes from my process. So, my process isn’t going to change whether I get zero catches or 10 catches. I’m going to still do the same thing week in and week out, Monday through Saturday to prepare myself for games. So, I think that’s where I have a lot of my confidence comes from. And obviously you want to have more of an impact in the game, but I think confidence really has to come from preparation more than anything.”

Harrison said no one player is ever solely responsible for his own production.

“It’s definitely a combination of a lot of things,” Harrison said. “For my route tree getting down the field, you need a lot of things to go right. You need the right coverage, you need protection to hold up, you need me to run a great route, you need obviously Jacoby to make the right pass and make the right read. So, I feel like it’s never one person’s fault for anybody’s success or lack thereof, really. So, I think it’s always a combination of a bunch of things and whether that’s a lack of success or success in general.”

Harrison’s comments may be true, and yet there’s no denying that he has been a disappointment as the fourth overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. His rookie year was only OK, he declined in his second season, and through two games in Year 3 he has gone into a steeper decline. Harrison’s process may not change, but something has to change.

Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner says Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels could play through the left elbow injury he suffered on Sunday.

Warner, who now appears on ESPN, described suffering the same injury in 2007 and not missing a game.

“I suffered the exact same injury back in ’07, and I played the next week,” Warner said. “I braced it up, obviously a couple shots along the way, I had to hand the football off with my right hand in both directions, but this to me is something, because it’s the left arm, if he wants to play through that, and get back out there and help his team, I believe he can. It’s not going to be one of those things that affects the throwing part of things. Does it affect his movement, does it affect his running or some of the things they want to do by design? Maybe, but I do believe this is something he can come back from. Because it’s the left arm, I don’t think it’s something we worry about long term and go, ‘Should we extend this guy, because he’s had this type of injury twice?’ I believe it’s something he can play through.”

Warner said that as a player, his mentality would be to do everything he can to help his team win.

“I can brace it up and go,” Warner said. “I don’t care about all that stuff. Let me go out there and play, I want to be out there with my guys as opposed to thinking about this a year or two down the road.”

Warner suffered his left elbow injury in Week 6 of 2007 when he was sacked by Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers. Warner missed the rest of that game, and when the injury was initially diagnosed he was expected to miss more time, but instead he played in Week 7, wearing a large brace on his left elbow, and started every game for the Cardinals the rest of the season. Warner played well down the stretch and was named the starter in 2008 after starting 2007 as the backup to Matt Leinart, and in 2008 Warner led the Cardinals to the Super Bowl.

What’s unknown is whether Warner is correct to call his injury “the exact same injury” that Daniels had. Daniels’ left elbow injury may be more severe, and it may not be feasible for him to play, even with a heavy brace on his left elbow. Warner displayed incredible toughness, but that doesn’t necessarily make it the right decision for Daniels.

Marvin Harrison Jr. hasn’t been the wide receiver the Cardinals thought they were getting when they drafted him fourth overall in 2024. That’s something everyone can agree.

The Cardinals, though, are pushing back against the narrative surrounding Harrison’s slow start to 2026.

A viral video, viewed more than 18 million times, started the discussion about Harrison’s effort level. Other videos have since questioned whether Harrison is giving 100 percent.

Quarterback Jacoby Brissett and coach Mike LaFleur defended Harrison on Wednesday.

“When you talk about his work ethic and you talk about him showing up and being engaged in the meetings and then going out on the field and giving 110 percent and being the Marv we all know he is, that hasn’t changed,” Brissett said, via Tyler Drake of Arizona Sports.

“Nobody’s lost confidence in Marv. The hard part as a young player is the noise from the outside telling you what they expect from you and the things of that nature. Does Marv want the ball? Yes. Do we understand that he wants the ball? Yes. Is it only Week 2? Yes. . . . At some point, the tide will change. When? We don’t know yet. Hopefully soon.”

Harrison has seen four targets, with one catch for 33 yards this season.

LaFleur was asked on Monday about Harrison jogging through routes.

“I don’t see it that way. I think his running style is different from some other people’s,” LaFleur said. “If that’s people’s narrative on him, that’s fine, but I know his teammates don’t feel that way.”

LaFleur doubled down Wednesday.

“In between those walls, Marv is Marv,” he said. “He’s attacking it every single day like he always does, just like his teammates do. I appreciate the way he goes about his business.”

As for whether Harrison’s run-blocking needs to improve, LaFleur said everyone’s “efforts need to improve.”

Dan Graziano of ESPN talked to league executives who wondered whether the Cardinals will shop Harrison before the trade deadline. The Texans are among the teams that could be in the market for help at the position.

Kyle Shanahan said Monday that the 49ers would have to manage Mike Evans’ hip injury this week. Indeed, the wide receiver will not practice on Wednesday, the head coach said.

Shanahan, who said after Sunday’s game that Evans’ injury wasn’t serious, provided no additional information on Wednesday.

“I’m not sure [about any specifics]. Just know it’s a hip injury,” Shanahan said, via David Bonilla of 49erswebzone.com.

The 49ers unexpectedly placed defensive tackle C.J. West on injured reserve, and Shanahan said West has a bone chip in his knee that will require surgery.

“It’s not a season-ender. So, hope to get him back sometime,” Shanahan said.

Defensive lineman James Thompson Jr. (high ankle), wide receiver Demarcus Robinson (high ankle) and defensive end Romello Height (hand) will join Evans in rehabbing during practice.

Despite undergoing hand surgery after Sunday’s victory over the Dolphins, Height could play Sunday against the Cardinals.

“He’s still an option,” Shanahan said. “I hear he came out good, so we’ll see how he heals up this week. Outside chance he could be available.”

Defensive end Nick Bosa, linebacker Dre Greenlaw, running back Christian McCaffrey and left tackle Trent Williams will take a rest day Wednesday.

With Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart reportedly heading for season-ending knee surgery, the Giants have to make a decision about the quarterback position moving forward.

Option A: The Jameis Winston experience, and everything that goes along with it — good, bad, and/or highly entertaining.

Option B: Sign a free agent and see if he would be a better option to win games. At this point, however, most guys who are available would be unlikely to be able to start. Jimmy Garoppolo is the best option.

Option C: Make a trade.

There are some options. Here are some of the ones we noticed after perusing the various rosters and depth charts.

Derek Carr: He’s still on the Saints reserve-retired list. A trade would be required, if there’s mutual interest.

Anthony Richardson: If the Colts would be comfortable with Riley Leonard as the understudy to Daniel Jones, the Colts could finally get value for the fourth overall pick in the 2023 draft.

Joe Flacco: John Harbaugh won a Super Bowl with Flacco in Baltimore. And Flacco has repeatedly shown he can still play.

Shedeur Sanders: If the Browns are willing to move on from Sanders, Harbaugh possibly would want Shedeur. The Ravens were going to draft him in 2025, but he didn’t want to back up Lamar Jackson.

Mason Rudolph: He has played a lot, and he may not have much of a future in Pittsburgh.

Sam Howell: He’s the backup to Dak Prescott, and he has plenty of starting experience; the Cowboys could elevate Joe Milton III to take Prescott’s place.

J.J. McCarthy: Jim Harbaugh loves him. John Harbaugh could be intrigued by him.

Gardner Minshew: If the Cardinals are content to have Carson Beck as the backup to Jacoby Brissett, why not? He has 47 career starts.

Mac Jones: He’s in the last year of his contract, and he played well last year in place of Brock Purdy.

The Giants also could pilfer a player from a practice squad. Possibilities (not many) include Will Levis (Jets), Josh Johnson (Bengals), Joe Milton III (Cowboys), and Max Brosmer (Vikings).

Cardinals cornerback Will Johnson may have played his final snap of the 2026 season.

Johnson was placed on injured reserve by the team on Wednesday. He suffered a neck injury in Arizona’s Week 2 loss to the Seahawks and head coach Mike LaFleur said in a press conference this week that he could miss the rest of the season as a result.

Johnson was a 2025 second-round pick and he played 12 games as a rookie. He had eight tackles and a fumble recovery while starting both of the Cardinals’ games this season.

The Cardinals signed cornerback Starling Thomas off of the practice squad in a corresponding move. Thomas missed all of last season after tearing his ACL in training camp, but started 22 games over the previous two seasons.

The Panthers have added an experienced receiver and returner to their practice squad.

The team announced the signing of Ihmir Smith-Marsette on Tuesday afternoon. Smith-Marsette was with the Cardinals this summer and was released from their practice squad earlier this month.

Smith-Marsette also played for the Panthers in 2023 and spent the last two seasons with the Giants, although he never got off their practice squad last year. He served as their lead returner during the 2024 season and played for the Chiefs, Bears and Vikings earlier in his career.

Smith-Marsette returned a punt for a touchdown during his first stint with the Panthers and had a kickoff return score for the Giants. He has career averages of 8.3 yards per punt return and 30.1 yards per kickoff return to go with 14 catches for 182 yards.