The 49ers signed Jordan Elliott to be a key part of their D-Line rotation in 2024, but he has reason to be fearful for his roster spot in 2025.
The 49ers’ interior defensive line has undergone a major revamp this offseason, with the changes seeing two players who started last season as key players in that area moved on to new teams.
Javon Hargrave and Maliek Collins were each let go as the 49ers embraced a youth movement on the defensive side of the trenches.
And it’s not inconceivable that a player they signed to be an integral part of the rotation last year could be a part of final roster cuts.
The 49ers signed Jordan Elliott to a two-year, $7 million last offseason, and he struggled to justify the investment.
Elliott registered only seven pressures in his first season with the 49ers, per Pro Football Focus, while his run stop rate of 4.6% was tied for the ninth-worst among interior defensive linemen with at least 200 run defense snaps.
The flip side is that Elliott’s average depth of tackle was 1.6 yards, tied for the 12th-best, illustrating that – when he was able to corral ball-carriers – he did so without allowing them to gain much yardage.
Still, it wasn’t the kind of season the 49ers likely envisaged from Elliott and, with the 49ers drafting Alfred Collins in the second round and CJ West in the fourth round of this year’s draft, there’s a good chance he will surrender his projected position as a starter at defensive tackle in 2025.
But what about his position on the roster?
The 49ers would save $2.94 million against the cap by moving on from Elliott and there’s reason to believe that, with the numbers San Francisco will likely carry on the D-Line, he could be on the outside looking in when Kyle Shanahan chops the roster from 90 to 53.
Collins and West will take up two spots, while veteran rotational piece Kevin Givens is a strong bet to make the roster, as is Evan Anderson, who impressed as a rookie UDFA with his run-stuffing ability.
San Francisco likely won’t put more than 10 defensive linemen on the active roster. As such, Elliott’s success in keeping his spot may hinge on how many edge rushers the 49ers go with.
Nick Bosa, Mykel Williams and Bryce Huff are all obviously locks, and the same can probably be said of Yetur Gross-Matos given his ability to play inside as well as off the edge.
Among the edge rushers, the players Elliott is competing with are Sam Okuayinonu and Robert Beal Jr, with the former’s versatility a significant selling point. Among defensive tackles, Kalia Davis perhaps represents the biggest threat to Elliott. Davis showed promise as a one-gapping three-technique in college, but his opportunities to have success in that capacity with the 49ers have been limited, primarily because of his injury issues.
Beal is probably the player about whom Elliott can have the least concern, given the lack of pass-rush upside the 2023 fifth-round pick has displayed. However, if Okuayinonu builds on a promising first season with the 49ers by impressing again in camp and Davis catches the eye enough to convince the staff he is worthy of another year, then Elliott could find himself looking for a new home come the end of August.