Ahead of their Week 4 matchup against the Denver Broncos, the San Francisco 49ers on Wednesday brought back a familiar face, officially signing wide receiver Dante Pettis to the practice squad. To make room, the team waived defensive end Vincent Anthony Jr. on Tuesday.

Pettis returns to San Francisco eight years after the 49ers selected him 44th overall in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft. The 30-year-old originally spent the first part of his NFL career with San Francisco before later playing for the New York Giants, Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints and Buffalo Bills.

Across seven NFL seasons, Pettis has appeared in 66 games with 19 starts. He has recorded 92 receptions for 1,231 yards and 13 touchdowns, along with three rushing attempts for 35 yards. His best season came as a rookie in 2018, when he caught 27 passes for 467 yards and five touchdowns in 12 games.

Pettis was waived by the 49ers during the 2020 season after finishing with 11 catches in 2019 and no receptions across five appearances in 2020. He subsequently continued his career with the Giants, Bears and Saints.

With New Orleans last season, Pettis appeared in eight games and caught nine passes for 127 yards. He signed with the Bills on July 31, 2026, but was released on August 29.

Pettis worked out for San Francisco on Tuesday along with eight other players before landing a practice-squad spot. His previous experience with head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense gives the 49ers an option already familiar with the system.

The move comes amid multiple injuries at wide receiver. Ricky Pearsall is out for the season after undergoing knee surgery in August, while Christian Kirk began the season on injured reserve with a calf injury and is unavailable until at least Week 5. Rookie De'Zhaun Stribling and veteran Demarcus Robinson have also landed on injured reserve with ankle injuries, while Mike Evans left Sunday's 36-30 win over the Arizona Cardinals with a rib injury.

San Francisco had already added veteran receiver Brandin Cooks to the practice squad the previous week.