In order to address their defensive line injury concerns, the 49ers apparently signed a seasoned defensive tackle very quickly.
The San Francisco 49ers have added DT Taylor Stallworth to the practice squad, according to reports that surfaced on Thursday morning. The action was taken after SF was forced to call up practice squad players for last Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals due to defensive line injuries, exhausting all other options.
Brett Tessler of Tessler Sports, Stallworth’s agent, made the announcement on Thursday.
The 28-year-old Taylor Stallworth joined the NFL in 2018. He has played for five different teams; the Tennessee Titans were the most recent to activate him off injury reserve. The native of Alabama has accumulated 52 combined tackles, 14 quarterback hits, and 4.5 sacks in six seasons. He also played six games for the Kansas City Chiefs, who won the Super Bowl in 2022.
Although it is unclear how much playing time he will get with the Red & Gold, his addition suggests the NFC leaders needed additional support.
Over the past few weeks, the 49ers have experienced a number of injuries on the defensive side of the ball, particularly at DT. Due to injuries, both starters Javon Hargrave and Arik Armstead were unable to play in Week 15. The team is now thin on the inside as backup DT Kalia Davis was placed on injured reserve due to a high-ankle sprain.
“As you can see, we used some of the guys on our practice squad last week. Furthermore, it’s unclear exactly when Hargrave and Armstead will return. They do, in fact, have opportunities this week. We will therefore be talking about a number of interrelated variables here for the remainder of the day and tomorrow. Even if we don’t make a move in any area, that’ll probably be continuing throughout the year,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday.
San Francisco has indeed chosen to add more members amidst injury concerns, with Stallworth joining DTs T.Y. McGill and Spencer Waege on the practice squad.
Upcoming 49ers Schedule
- Monday, Dec. 25th vs. Baltimore Ravens – 5:15 p.m. PST
- Sunday, Dec. 31st @ Washington Commanders – 10:00 a.m. PST
- Sunday, Jan. 7th vs. Los Angeles Rams – TBD
- NFL Playoffs (TBD)