The 49ers took a hard hit in practice ahead of their Week 1 game in Melbourne, losing defensive tackle Alfred Collins to a season-ending injury. And with that blow, one recent roster move looks a lot worse.
San Francisco had brought in undrafted free agent Bryson Eason out of Tennessee, and while he didn’t arrive with much buzz, he made noise once camp and the preseason got going. The 24-year-old defensive tackle is built like one too - 6-foot-3 and 315 pounds - and he logged 4.5 sacks in his college career with the Vols.
There was real belief around him, too. Pro Football Focus liked him, and the 49ers viewed him as a player who could push for a spot on the 53-man roster to open the season.
That made sense given the way Collins, who was coming off shoulder surgery, and C.J. West both struggled through training camp and the preseason.
Still, San Francisco moved on from Eason after the preseason, and the Kansas City Chiefs quickly grabbed him for their practice squad.
Now the 49ers are left trying to patch together the interior of their defensive line after losing Collins. West will need to take on more, and James Thompson - signed to the practice squad and a possible candidate for elevation - may be part of the answer as well.
The team could also look outside the building, either through another signing or a trade, though patience might be the route first. Last season, John Lynch was not especially aggressive in adding to the defensive line even as injuries piled up and the pass rush sputtered.
That could mean the 49ers wait until midseason to decide whether this group is worth a major move, or whether they should preserve draft capital and try to add a solid rookie to the line next year.
For now, though, letting Eason get away stands out more than ever. He flashed enough in camp to suggest there’s something there, and if he keeps developing, the 49ers may end up wishing they had kept him around.
Roster calls are always tricky, and San Francisco couldn’t have predicted Collins would go down like this.
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