SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Trey McBride just cleared concussion protocol and Friday had managed to make it through the week without an injury designation for Sunday.
But that changed Saturday, with the tight end dealing with a ribs problem that landed him back on the injury report and left him questionable for the game against the 49ers.
The Cardinals elevated kicker Chad Ryland and tackle Charlie Heck from the practice squad. Heck will serve as the reserve tackle, but Ryland likely will have to play with veteran Matt Prater dealing with left knee soreness.
The Cardinals, in their continuing quest to have a "ready" list of players for situations just like this, had Ryland in for a recent workout. When Prater's knee issue cropped up, the Cards knew what direction they wanted to go.
"It happened to work out for us," Gannon said.
If Ryland needs to kick for the Cardinals, it will impact choices. Prater is the all-time NFL leader in 50-yard field goals and has been virtually automatic from distance. Ryland, a fourth-round pick of the Patriots in 2023, made 16 of 25 field goals for New England last season and was only 50 percent for all tries from 40 yards and beyond.
The difference between the kickers "will be a factor, a component in how we do things on fourth down," Gannon said.
