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Get to know each of the 8 defenders who tried out for the 49ers
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- Get to know each of the 8 defenders who tried out for the 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers on Tuesday tried out a slew of defenders as they prepare for the second half of the regular season.
According to the NFL transaction wire San Francisco had eight players from the defensive side of the ball in for tryouts, including four defensive tackles, three defensive backs and a defensive end.
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Here's a quick rundown of each player they had in:
DE Dominic Bailey
Undrafted rookie out of the University of Tennessee who joined the Houston Texans after this year's draft. In six seasons with the Volunteers he had 76 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss and 8.0 sacks in 55 games. He played in all three preseason games for Houston this year and notched a pair of tackles in 115 total snaps.
DB Christian Braswell
Braswell entered the NFL as a sixth-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2023 draft. In 26 games with Jacksonville he logged 19 tackles and two tackles for loss while contributing heavily on special teams. He played in all 17 games for the Jaguars in 2025 with three games each in his other three years.
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DT Matthew Butler
The Las Vegas Raiders used a fifth-round pick on Butler in the 2022 draft. He played in 15 games across three years with the Raiders and then spent last season with the Miami Dolphins where he played in 12 contests. Butler has 27 tackles and 0.5 sacks in 27 games as a pro.
DT Aaron Graves
San Francisco must've liked Houston's undrafted rookie class. Like Bailey, Graves was also a UDFA with the Texans this year. He also played in all three preseason games, notching three tackles and one quarterback hit. In college Graves spent four years with the University of Iowa and saw action in 52 games. He had 122 tackles, 25 tackles for loss and 16.5 sacks with one interception. If the 49ers add a player from this group, Graves may be the most interesting of them.
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DB Kyu Blu Kelly
It's been a tumultuous career for Kelly since joining the NFL as a fifth-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens in 2023. He played in eight games as a rookie, none of them with Baltimore. He was with the Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers and Washington Commanders. In 2024 he began a two-year stint with the Raiders. He started eight of his 13 games last season. As a pro he has 47 tackles, two tackles for loss, three interceptions and six pass breakups.
DB David Long
In seven NFL seasons Long has played in 80 games with 12 starts through stints with the Los Angeles Rams, Raiders, Packers, Carolina Panthers and Indianapolis Colts. He has 96 tackles, one interception and eight pass breakups in the NFL.
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DT Chris Williams
This is the first of the group who has played in the NFL this season. Williams played two games with the Cleveland Brown and posted one tackle with one quarterback hit. He made his NFL debut with the Colts in 2021 when he played in eight games. He wasn't in the NFL in 2023, but in his five seasons he has 4.0 sacks, 44 tackles and four tackles for loss in 46 games with the Colts, Chicago Bears and the Browns.
DT Kristian Williams
Williams was an undrafted rookie with the Denver Broncos last year. He hasn't played in the regular season yet, but in two preseasons he played in 106 snaps across five games and had two tackles.
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Get to know each of the 8 defenders who tried out for the 49ers
