Where former Tennessee Vols DL Bryson Eason stands in his attempt to make the 49ers’ 53-man roster
Former Tennessee Volunteers defensive lineman Bryson Eason is working to make the San Francisco 49ers’ 53-man roster to start the season.
Former Tennessee Vols defensive lineman Bryson Eason went undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft, but the San Francisco 49ers quickly signed him as an undrafted free agent.
San Francisco scooped him up in large part because the organization was shocked he wasn’t selected during the draft. Eason has had a good training camp, and while it’s always tough for an undrafted free agent to make a 53-man roster to start the season, it looked like he had a decent chance.
The Athletic’s Matt Barrows and Vic Tafur, however, don’t have Eason making the team out of preseason.
But that doesn’t mean it’s the end of the road for the former Vol in San Francisco. The feeling is that the 49ers will hope to keep Eason on the practice squad. It won’t be easy, though, because he’ll be exposed to waivers, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if another team takes a chance on him.
Either way, I would expect to see Eason play in regular season NFL games at some point this season. It may not be in Week 1, and it may not be for the 49ers, but he definitely has a future in the NFL.
That shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who follows Tennessee closely. Vols defensive line coach Rodney Garner pointed out in 2025 that Eason was one of the most talented defensive players on Tennessee’s roster – he just has to be more consistent.
“Obviously, Bryson is very talented, and we’ve always talked about that every year,” said Garner. “He’s one of the more gifted kids that we have, but just seeing him being more attentive to doing the little things. He is a talented guy, everybody when they are writing him up with the scouts and coaches, his talent jumps out.
“But there are some things that he needs to clean up in his game. And for him to come out and at least be focused on fixing certain things that we’ve talked about, that’s really encouraging, and it shows to me that he’s maturing. And that’s showing that he’s growing as a man and he’s taking it seriously.”
I think Eason is going to find his way onto an NFL field this season – whether it’s in San Francisco or elsewhere. The talent is there, and NFL teams beyond the 49ers are well aware.
