49ers will waive recently acquired C Easton

The San Francisco 49ers acquired linebacker Gerald Hodges from the Minnesota Vikings in a trade that sent center Nick Easton and a sixth-round draft pick to the Vikings, the teams announced Tuesday.

Hodges, 24, has 20 tackles in three starts for the Vikings this season.

After four weeks it appears the Vikings are ready to let Kendricks play on every down, making Hodges expendable.

Hodges started at middle linebacker for the Vikings and joins an inside linebacking group with the Niners that includes Navorro Bowman, Michael Wilhoite, Shayne Skov and Nick Bellore. Throughout the season, the rookie second-round pick has replaced Hodges in the team’s Nickel defense and performed well enough to warrant the trade.

Hodges was credited with eight tackles in the season opener against the 49ers as Carlos Hyde rushed for 168 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries. We felt we had a lot of depth at that position.

Easton, 23, is an undrafted rookie who signed with Baltimore and was traded to the 49ers in September. According to KFAN’s A.J. Mansour, Vikings general manager Rick Spielman pulled the trigger on the deal to get back a sixth-round pick that he previously traded away when acquiring backup lineman Jeremiah Sirles. Were you as surprised as Chad Greenway?