In San Francisco, the next man up is a man who once had a hand in fueling a 49ers run to the Super Bowl.Linebacker Eric Kendricks steps in, as the replacement for Tatum Bethune. Who was the replacement for Fred Warner. And it was Kendricks who helped dramatically reshape coach Kyle Shanahan's offensive approach during the 2019 postseason.Bethune is out for the balance of the season with a groin injury. With Warner not expected to be back from a serious ankle injury until the NFC Championship, Kendricks steps in at middle linebacker.Kendricks, 33, had seemingly retired. He had a chance to sign with the Ravens' practice squad. He passed. Instead, Kendricks joined the 49ers' practice squad in late November. Since showing up, Kendricks has appeared in three games with one start."I'm real confident in Eric," coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Monday. "He's been here long enough. These games he has gotten in the last couple weeks he's done a good job, and I'm glad that we've got him for this situation."Kendricks had been a fixture in Minnesota for 10 years. He spent 2023 with the Chargers and 2024 with the Cowboys.In January 2020, Kendricks intercepted then-49ers...
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