Two wide receivers who started their college careers at Alabama bowed out of the NFL playoffs on Wednesday. The Buffalo Bills placed Tyrell Shavers on injured reserve, and the San Francisco 49ers released Javon Baker from their practice squad.
The transaction with Shavers was expected after Bills coach Sean McDermott announced on Tuesday that the receiver had sustained a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the second quarter of Sunday’s 27-24 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in a Wild-Card Weekend game.
Despite the knee injury, Shavers played in the second half for Buffalo but now is out the rest of the Bills’ season. Buffalo plays the Denver Broncos in a Divisional Weekend game at 3:30 p.m. CST Saturday at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver. CBS will televise the game.
After catching one pass in two seasons at Alabama, Shavers played one season at Mississippi State and two at San Diego State before joining the Bills as an undrafted rookie in 2023. Shavers spent his rookie season on Buffalo’s practice squad and had one reception in three games in 2024 before playing in every game, starting 10 times and catching 16 passes for 259 yards and one touchdown this season.
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Baker had spent five weeks on San Francisco’s practice squad without playing. Each team can elevate two members of its practice squad to active status for each game.
Baker was in training camp with the New England Patriots, then spent the first six weeks of the season on the Philadelphia Eagles’ practice squad.
Baker had nine receptions for 116 yards and one touchdown in two seasons at Alabama before playing two seasons at UCF. As a fourth-round draft choice of the Patriots in 2024, Baker played in 11 games and caught one pass for 12 yards and returned three kickoffs for 79 yards in his rookie season.
Baker’s release came among a series of transactions made by the 49ers on Wednesday. Tight end George Kittle went to injured reserve after suffering an Achilles tendon injury in Sunday’s 23-19 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of the NFC playoffs. San Francisco signed practice-squad tight end Brayden Willis to the 53-man active roster. After releasing Baker, the 49ers signed defensive back Darrick Forrest and tight end Hayden Rucci to fill the open practice-squad spots.
San Francisco plays Seattle at 7 p.m. Saturday at Lumen Field in Seattle in the second round. FOX will televise the game.