49ers DT Alfred Collins To Miss Season With Torn Patella Tendon

The 49ers were hoping to see second-year defensive tackle Alfred Collins develop into a key piece on the defense in his sophomore season, but ESPN’s Nick Wagoner reported today that the Texas product will miss the 2026 NFL season with a torn patellar tendon.

Collins was a second-round pick for the Niners out of Texas last year. After a slow debut, Collins quickly became a major part of the team’s defensive line rotation as a rookie. Over 16 games (with one start) Collins tallied 17 total tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss, four quarterback hits, two batted passes, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. While the stats reflected positively on his rookie campaign, the analytics weren’t so kind. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) graded Collins as the 124th-best interior defender in the NFL out of 127 graded at the position.

In that first year, Collins was a buried a bit on the depth chart in San Francisco, coming off the bench for Kalia Davis and Jordan Elliott. The 49ers watched both players depart in free agency (for Cleveland and Tennessee, respectively) in the offseason, clearing the way for a much larger role for Collins on the first-team defense in his second season with the team. Collins struggled even taking advantage of the lack of competition this offseason, though, spending a good portion it in recovery.

With Collins out, San Francisco doesn’t have too much of a backup plan in the middle of the defensive line. Last year’s fellow rotator off the bench, CJ West, and trade acquisition Osa Odighizuwa were set to man the first-team defensive line alongside Collins. Rookie fourth-rounder out of Oklahoma Gracen Halton and undrafted Illinois rookie James Thompson Jr. serve as the only depth pieces behind them on the active roster, though Wagoner mentions that Kevin Givens and Sebastian Valdez could both be elevation options off the practice squad.

It’s ultimately an incredibly disappointing development for the sophomore defender looking to take the next step this year and for the 49ers, who were no strangers to devastating injuries in 2025. Unfortunately, 2026 appears to be off to an eerily similar start as they lose a projected starter the day before the season is underway.