By admin 
In recent days, it seemed as if the San Francisco 49ers’ so-called injury jinx was petering out a bit. They cleared Nick Bosa, George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey to return to practice after all three sat out much of the summer, and Bosa and Kittle seem to be on track to play on Thursday against the Los Angeles Rams after suffering a torn ACL and torn Achilles, respectively, last season.
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But now, less than 48 hours before that showdown versus their longtime NFC West rivals, the Niners have lost another player to a serious injury.
According to Nick Wagoner of ESPN, defensive lineman Alfred Collins sustained a torn patellar tendon and will miss all of this season as a result.
“San Francisco 49ers starting defensive tackle Alfred Collins suffered a torn patellar tendon in the team’s Tuesday practice in Australia, an injury that will keep him out for the 2026 season,” Wagoner wrote.
Collins was a second-round draft pick last year out of the University of Texas, where he earned First-team All-SEC honors in 2024. As mostly a backup in 2025, he showed some scattered promise with 17 total tackles (four solo), four quarterback hits, one tackle for loss, one sack, two passes defended and two forced fumbles.
San Francisco is now very thin up front
As it stood already, San Francisco had a lack of functional depth on its defensive line. Mykel Williams and Sam Okuayinonu, both of whom were expected to get a considerable number of snaps, will miss at least the first four games of this season.
Williams still hasn’t recovered from the torn ACL he suffered in Week 9 last year. Okuayinonu, meanwhile, recently sustained a foot injury and will require surgery. He isn’t with the team as it prepares in Melbourne, Australia, to play the Rams.
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Wagoner outlined how the defensive tackle positions could play out for the Niners.
“With Collins out of the mix, the Niners will enter Thursday night’s season opener against the Rams with C.J. West and rookie Gracen Halton as the only healthy options on the 53-man roster who can start next to fellow defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa. Undrafted rookie James Thompson Jr. is another possibility, but he has missed practice with a hamstring issue.
“The Niners do have a couple of practice squad options — Sebastian Valdez and Kevin Givens — with them in Melbourne whom they could elevate to play the Rams.”
Odighizuwa could turn out to be a saving grace. San Francisco acquired him in March in a trade with the Dallas Cowboys, and it hopes he will be the interior pass-rushing threat it hasn’t had in a little while.
He recorded 3.5 sacks, 23 quarterback hits and six tackles for loss in 17 games last season for Dallas. He turned 28 years of age on Aug. 13, and as he’s under contract through 2028, the hope is that he will become a true part of the Niners’ core moving forward.
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This story was originally published September 8, 2026 at 10:11 PM.