The 49ers lost a key piece of their defensive front in Javon Hargrave, who is likely to miss the rest of the 2024 NFL season after tearing his triceps muscle in San Francisco’s 27-24 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday at SoFi Stadium.
Before the injury, coach Kyle Shanahan had been impressed with Hargrave’s progress in his second season with the 49ers, and explained the loss on a conference call Monday.
“It was a big loss,” Shanahan said. “I thought he had his best game yesterday. I thought he was a big factor and really impacted the quarterback in that game and it was a big loss. He’s one of our best players and he was definitely going in the right direction and he was going to have a great year.”
The 49ers have a few defensive linemen on the practice squad who they could look to for contributions on the field, while Shanahan confirmed that Yetor Gross-Matos He is a candidate to move to the inside of the line in Hargrave’s absence.
“We’re still working on that,” Shanahan said. “We have a couple of players on the practice squad that we’re likely to call up. We have some good players on the outside who are good inside rushers in terms of passing, but we’re always looking at what’s available there.”
Sam Okwinono He was elevated from the practice squad for all three games this season, making him a candidate to be added to the 53-man roster. The 49ers also have TY McGill On the practice squad, he appeared in 11 games during his previous two seasons in the Gulf.
Alex Barrett He joined the 49ers in 2019, but appeared in just seven games for San Francisco, all in 2020. Beginner Evan Andersonwho was not selected by Florida Atlantic, completes the group.
Hassan Ridgeway is a free agent. The 49ers may consider signing the defensive midfielder. The player has experience with the 49ers, having played in 12 games during the 2022 season. Al Woodswho played for the Seattle Seahawks from 2019-22 and played for the New York Jets last season, is another free agent option.
What is certain is that the 49ers likely won’t break the bank to acquire a defensive tackle for a unit and team loaded with high-salaried stars.
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