San Francisco 49ers defensive line gets crowded with new addition

The 49ers haven't yet made a corresponding move.

Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The San Francisco 49ers have a questionable depth chart at defensive tackle. While they lack top-end talent, they are deep. The depth is about to get even stronger with the team claiming defensive tackle Jordan Jefferson off of waivers after the Jacksonville Jaguars released him. 

San Francisco 49ers claim Jordan Jefferson off waivers

Jefferson was a former fourth-round pick from LSU in 2024. This is just his second NFL season, and he will be turning 24 in a few months, so there is upside in the addition. However, Jefferson has not displayed much in the NFL yet. 

The fourth-round pick hardly played as a rookie, logging just 150 defensive snaps. After his rookie season, the Jaguars changed their coaching staff, and it is clear that he did not fit in with the new philosophy. 

Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

So, one way to see it is that the 49ers added a player they may have liked in the draft last year. He is young and still under team control. He also comes from a big school with pedigree. While he was not a fit with the new staff in Jacksonville, the 49ers see him differently. 

The other way to see it is that he fell in the draft, the staff that drafted him was not impressed in his rookie season, and the next coaching staff saw the same thing. 

The biggest question to come from this is what is the corresponding roster move? San Francisco now has six interior defensive lineman with Jordan Elliott, Alfred Collins, CJ West, Kalia Davis, Evan Anderson, and now Jefferson.

The team has not been impressed with the progress of the rookies. Davis and Anderson have typically been end-of-the-roster players, although Davis has flashed this summer. Elliott has been best in a rotation, so Jefferson could align anywhere from first to fifth in this rotation. 

San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Kalia Davis. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The team does not have a punter and also added Marquez Valdes-Scantling. With the addition of Jefferson, they need to clear three roster spots. One will be Jacob Cowing to the IR. You would assume Evan Anderson may be the odd man out along the interior. Still, they need to make another move. 

If anything, the 49ers scrambling around the roster deadline and signing two players who were just released speaks to the state of the roster. One issue is that they suffer too many injuries. However, failing to get the most value out of their draft picks has depleted the depth and put them in this position.