The San Francisco 49ers have placed defensive tackle Alfred Collins on injured reserve after a torn patellar tendon suffered in practice on Wednesday, ending his season before it could truly take shape, via the NFL transaction log.
The official transaction arrived Thursday as the club also elevated wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge and defensive end Ogbonnia Okoronkwo from the practice squad for the game against the Rams, a pair of short-term additions that underscore how quickly the front office is trying to stabilize the roster around a sudden hole on the interior.
Collins, 24, arrived in the Bay Area last spring as a high-upside piece of the 2025 draft class. San Francisco selected him 43rd overall after he spent five seasons at Texas, where he had been a four-star recruit and the second-ranked strongside defensive end in the 2020 high school class out of Bastrop.
The Longhorns developed him into a sturdy, scheme-versatile lineman, and the 49ers signed him to a four-year deal worth just over $10.3 million, including a $4.13 million signing bonus that reflected their belief he could grow into a regular contributor.
That growth had already begun. In his rookie season Collins appeared in 16 games and posted 17 tackles, a tackle for loss, a sack, two pass defenses, and two forced fumbles.
The production was modest by volume, but the flashes of disruption and the willingness to play through the grind of a 49ers defensive line rotation suggested a player who was learning the speed and violence of the NFL.
A second year was supposed to be the next step: more snaps, more responsibility, and a clearer role as the team tried to keep its defensive front deep and interchangeable.
A torn patellar tendon is a different kind of setback. Recovery is measured in months rather than weeks, and the timing leaves San Francisco without him for the remainder of 2026.
For a young lineman still building strength and consistency, the lost season is more than missed games; it interrupts the developmental rhythm that second-year players usually rely on.
The organization will now have to lean on veterans and the two players called up this week while Collins begins the long process of rehabilitation.
The elevations of Hodge and Okoronkwo are practical, not flashy. They give the 49ers extra bodies for a Thursday night matchup and buy time as the coaching staff evaluates how to replace Collins’ interior presence.
Yet the larger story remains the young tackle whose path from Texas high school standout to mid-first-round draft pick has been paused by an injury that no amount of draft pedigree can prevent.
How he responds in recovery will shape the next chapter of a career that had only just started to look like it belonged in San Francisco.
