Story by
The 49ers’ Defensive Line Has Gotten Even Thinner After Their Latest Injury
- Story by
- The 49ers’ Defensive Line Has Gotten Even Thinner After Their Latest Injury
The San Francisco 49ers just cannot repel the injury bug. It is starting to look like this is the third straight season that will be at least partly defined by injuries to key players.
Going into their Week 2 win over the Miami Dolphins , they were without wide receivers De'Zhaun Stribling, Christian Kirk and Ricky Pearsall , tight end Jake Tonges and defensive linemen Mykel Williams , Sam Okuayinonu and Alfred Collins . Then during Sunday's 35-13 victory, they lost wide receiver Demarcus Robinson and defensive tackle James Thompson Jr. to high ankle sprains.
Advertisement
The news grew even worse on Wednesday, as yet another defensive lineman went on the shelf due to injury.
Their latest injury came as a surprise
Defensive tackle C.J. West was placed on injured reserve due to a bone chip in his knee, per Nick Wagoner of ESPN . He will require surgery, but the good news is that he's expected to return later this season.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan gave some info about how long West may have been bothered by this ailment.
Advertisement
"He had something in camp," Shanahan said. "I don't know if this is the same or if it was something new, but it was bothering him a lot after the game."
West, who is in his second season in the NFL, was a fourth-round draft pick last year out of Indiana University. He started in both games so far this season and has registered five total tackles (one solo) and one quarterback hit.
Shanahan said a couple of days ago that he hopes Williams will be able to return to practice next week. Williams is on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, so the earliest he's eligible to return to game action, per NFL rules, is Week 5, when the Niners visit the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks .
Advertisement
While Williams, who is also in his second pro season, is primarily a defensive end, he can also play the defensive tackle position, so his impending return could greatly help with the team's defensive line depth.
San Francisco has signed DT Naquan Jones to its active roster and DT Viliami Fehoko Jr. to its practice squad in order to beef up their depth at that position in the wake of their latest injury.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Sep 24, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
