The Cardinals placed TE Trey McBride on the late injured report with a rib injury and brought in kicker Chad Ryland because Matt Prater was injured

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Trey McBride just passed the concussion protocol and Friday managed to get through the week without an injury report heading into Sunday.

But that changed on Saturday when the tight end struggled with a rib problem that put him back on the injured list and made him questionable for the game against the 49ers.

The Cardinals signed kicker Chad Ryland and tackle Charlie Heck from the practice squad. Heck will serve as the reserve tackle, but Ryland will likely have to play alongside veteran Matt Prater, who is dealing with left knee soreness.

The Cardinals, in their ongoing effort to have a “ready” roster of players for situations like this, had recently invited Ryland to practice. When Prater’s knee problem arose, the Cards knew which direction they wanted to go.

“It worked out for us,” Gannon said.

If Ryland has to kick for the Cardinals, that will impact decisions. Prater is the NFL’s all-time leader in field goals over 50 yards 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 just 50 percent on all attempts from 40 yards and beyond.

The difference between kickers “will be a factor, a component of how we do things on fourth down,” Gannon said.