KhaDarel Hodge has joined the San Francisco 49ers’ 53-man roster after signing with the team more than a week into training camp, giving the veteran receiver another opportunity to continue his NFL career.
The 49ers could use Hodge on offense and special teams while rookie wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling is sidelined for about 2 1/2 months following surgery. The team also is dealing with the fallout from surgeries involving Stribling and tight end Jake Tonges, although further details about Tonges were not provided.
Hodge, 31, entered the NFL as an undrafted player from Prairie View A&M in 2018 and began his career with the Los Angeles Rams. He later played for Cleveland, Detroit and Atlanta, spending the last four seasons with Atlanta. Hodge was selected to the NFC Pro Bowl team in 2024 for his special-teams work.
In 119 career games, including 10 starts, Hodge has recorded 67 catches for 1,026 yards and two touchdowns. He joins an active 49ers receiving group that includes Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel, Demarcus Robinson, Jacob Cowing and Jordan Watkins.
Hodge said he has had to compete for a roster place throughout his career. “Enough is never enough,” he told NBC Sports Bay Area, adding that he remains focused on supporting his family and representing where he came from.
Hodge grew up in D’Lo, Mississippi, a community of about 350 people located 30 miles south of Jackson. He said he was raised with his mother, four siblings, grandparents, cousins and others, with as many as 13 people sometimes staying in the family’s small house. He did not have his own bedroom until leaving for college.
