San Francisco 49ers’ roster cuts decision is already coming back to haunt them, and the season hasn’t even started yet
The San Francisco 49ers chose Alfred Collins over Bryson Eason during 53-man roster cuts. That decision appears to have backfired with Collins suffering a season-ending injury.
One of the decisions the San Francisco 49ers made during 53-man roster cuts is already coming back to haunt them. The season hasn’t even begun.
Leading up to the 49ers’ game against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia, defensive tackle Alfred Collins suffered a knee injury during practice. The injury was revealed to be a torn patellar tendon, which will keep him out for the 2026 NFL season.
“Alfred (Collins) tore his patellar tendon yesterday,” 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan said on Tuesday. “That was a big loss. We’ve lost two D-linemen pretty much for the year after cuts and before the first game, which has been a huge challenge.”
The injury is the second blow on the defensive line, with defensive end Sam Okuyanonu landing on injured reserve with a broken foot just this past weekend. Now, with Collins suffering a season-ending injury, the Niners are scrambling to prepare a patchwork unit. One big decision during 53-man roster cuts looks more and more like a mistake.
The Bryson Eason decision looms large
San Francisco released defensive tackle Bryson Eason during 53-man roster cuts. He had a strong preseason, and some believed he performed better than Collins. The Kansas City Chiefs claimed Eason after his release.
The 49ers stuck with Collins, a former second-round pick out of the University of Texas in the 2025 NFL Draft. Many believed they stuck with Collins over Eason because of his draft status. Eason arguably had the better training camp and preseason.
Either way, they had big plans for Collins after their decision to move on from Eason. Collins played in 16 games last season with 17 tackles, a sack, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. Had San Francisco kept Eason alongside Collins, this injury would be far less damaging.
A patchwork interior with few proven options
The only healthy interior defensive linemen on the 53-man roster are second-year defensive tackle C.J. West and rookie Gracen Halton, alongside Osa Odighizuwa, who was acquired from the Dallas Cowboys. There’s also undrafted rookie defensive end James Thompson Jr., who could step up in place of Collins. However, he also missed practice earlier this week with a hamstring injury.
On the practice squad, the team has Sebastian Valdez and Kevin Givens, both in Melbourne. Expect one or the other to be elevated from the practice squad to the 53-man roster.
No matter what, the 49ers’ decision to part ways with Eason looks like one that could cost them as early as Week 1. San Francisco will have to make do with a patchwork defensive tackle group against the Rams on short notice. When they return stateside, they’ll likely scour options on practice squads and in free agency.
