The San Francisco 49ers found another body for a wide receiver room that’s taken a beating this camp. The team announced Wednesday it has signed KhaDarel Hodge to a one-year deal, according to the 49ers‘ own transaction report. The move comes just days after San Francisco lost Ricky Pearsall for the season to knee surgery.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler first reported the agreement Wednesday. Fowler posted on X: “Source: Veteran WR KhaDarel Hodge to the 49ers.”
Source: Veteran WR KhaDarel Hodge to the 49ers.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) August 5, 2026
The 49ers made it official later that day, confirming the signing directly through the team’s site.
Hodge isn’t walking into a featured role. He’s walking into a battle for a roster spot, and he knows it. The 31-year-old spent the past four seasons in Atlanta, catching passes in bursts and making his real living on special teams.
Who Is KhaDarel Hodge?
Hodge entered the league in 2018 as an undrafted free agent out of Prairie View A&M, signing with the Los Angeles Rams. From there his path zigzagged — a stop in Cleveland, a season in Detroit, then four years in Atlanta, two of them under current 49ers defensive coordinator Raheem Morris. That connection likely didn’t hurt his chances of landing in Santa Clara.
He made the Pro Bowl after the 2024 season, but not for anything he did with the ball in his hands. Hodge earned it as a gunner and rush specialist on punt coverage — grinding, unglamorous work that doesn’t show up on a highlight reel but matters plenty to a special teams coordinator building a roster.
As a receiver, the production has stayed modest. Over eight NFL seasons, Hodge has caught 67 passes for 1,026 yards and two touchdowns. Last year was his quietest yet: three catches for 31 yards across 12 games with the Falcons.
| Season | Team | Receptions | Yards | TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Falcons | 13 | 202 | 0 |
| 2023 | Falcons | 14 | 232 | 1 |
| 2024 | Falcons | 7 | 131 | 1 |
| 2025 | Falcons | 3 | 31 | 0 |
Why the 49ers Needed the Help
San Francisco’s receiver room has taken hit after hit this camp. Pearsall, the team’s 2024 first-round pick, went down with knee swelling just three practices into camp. General manager John Lynch announced Saturday that Pearsall will need surgery on his posterior cruciate ligament and won’t play a snap in 2026 — a brutal blow for a player who was shot in the chest before his rookie season even started and has now lost significant time in each of his first three years.
The 49ers didn’t wait around. They brought back Deebo Samuel on a one-year reunion deal to help fill the void, and Hodge is the next layer of insurance. It’s not a like-for-like replacement — Hodge isn’t going to threaten for targets the way Pearsall was expected to — but camp bodies who can also help on special teams carry real value once the pads come on and the injuries start piling up.
With Pearsall out, Mike Evans, Christian Kirk and Samuel project as San Francisco’s top three receivers once healthy. Second-round rookie De’Zhaun Stribling is also working his way back and figures to push for reps once he’s cleared. Hodge slots in below that group, fighting alongside players like Jacob Cowing and Junior Bergen for a depth spot.
What Comes Next
Terms of Hodge’s contract haven’t been disclosed. He’ll report to Santa Clara and immediately get folded into a receiver competition that’s more crowded — and more banged up — than the 49ers probably wanted heading into the back half of camp. His path to meaningful offensive snaps is narrow. His path to a roster spot, given his special teams résumé, looks considerably more realistic.
None of this changes the bigger picture in San Francisco. Losing a former first-round receiver for the year is the kind of setback that doesn’t get fixed by one waiver-wire-caliber signing. But adding a proven special-teamer who’s logged 118 career games gives the coaching staff a steadier option than rolling with pure camp bodies while the front office keeps working the phones.
