An injury to San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Alfred Collins just two days before their regular season opener vs. the Los Angeles Rams has thrown a wrench into the team's defensive plans.
With an already banged up defensive line the options on the interior were thin behind Osa Odighizuwa and Collins, who we had slated to start in our projected defensive depth chart.
Removing Collins from the mix changes things pretty dramatically for the 49ers. They won't be able to sign a free agent or make a trade in time for the new player to arrive in Australia for Thursday's game. That means they'll have to turn to one of three internal candidates to help fill out their defensive tackle depth chart.
To make matters worse, the only player who didn't participate
in the team's first practice of the week was undrafted rookie defensive tackle James Thompson Jr. who is dealing with a hamstring injury. His status for Thursday is still up in the air.
Here's how we think the 49ers' updated defensive tackle depth chart will look come Thursday night:
1. Osa Odighizuwa
Nothing changes for Odighizuwa who'll line up as a starter every game he's able to suit up in this season.
2. CJ West
Collins' fellow 2025 draft pick gets the nod for us alongside Odighizuwa in the starting group. West has enough size to line up at the nose tackle spot and the potential run-stuffing chops to be a difference maker for the 49ers' defense. It wasn't a great preseason for West, but now he's being thrust into a role where he's perhaps San Francisco's most important player.
3. Gracen Halton
If we were later in the year it might be Halton taking on that starting role. Given how much of training camp he missed with an ankle injury it's hard to imagine the 49ers turning to the rookie fourth-round pick to be a starter. He'll still play a ton Thursday night and he may even make an impact if he continues taking steps forward from his strong preseason showing.
4. Kevin Givens
We're just assuming Givens is the player the 49ers bring in to replace Collins for Thursday's game (and perhaps longer). Givens has been in San Francisco since 2019 and he has experience at multiple spots on their defensive line. He doesn't have a ton of upside, but he's a veteran with 70 games of experience who can step in and play whatever role the 49ers need him to play. They'll take that for now over an upside play like Sebastian Valdez who is also on the practice squad and with the team in Australia.
5. James Thompson Jr.
Thompson was probably last in the pecking order even without his hamstring injury keeping him out of the first practice of the week. If he does suit up the 49ers will likely want to limit the undrafted rookie's snaps unless he steps in and creates immediate issues for the Rams offensive line. He has a ton of upside, he's just going to have to prove it before he gets regular playing time.
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers depth chart: D-line updated after injury to projected starter
