Less than a week after trading for DeForest Buckner, the San Francisco 49ers spent half of an eight-player workout looking at defensive tackles.
All eight players San Francisco brought in on Tuesday, Nov. 3, were defenders, according to the NFL transaction report. Five were defensive linemen and three were defensive backs. The 49ers host the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, Nov. 8, coming out of their bye.
The split is more revealing than the head count. The 49ers just used a fourth-round pick to bring back a Pro Bowl defensive tackle, and they released cornerback Jack Jones to open his roster spot. On Tuesday, they looked at depth at both positions.
49ers Work Out 4 Defensive Tackles After DeForest Buckner Trade
San Francisco worked out defensive tackles Matthew Butler, Aaron Graves, Chris Williams and Kristian Williams, along with defensive end Dominic Bailey. In other words, four of the five linemen on the list play inside.
The 49ers sent Indianapolis a 2027 fourth-round pick for Buckner, who started seven games for the Colts this season and recorded four sacks before the trade. A player with that production can change the starting front. The back end of the rotation is a separate roster question, and Tuesday’s list gives San Francisco four more interior options to evaluate.
That part of the roster was already moving before the trade. San Francisco released defensive lineman Kevin Givens from the active roster and brought him back on the practice squad. The team also elevated defensive lineman Ogbo Okoronkwo for its game against Atlanta, according to the 49ers’ transaction log. The workouts give the team more options if it needs to make another move in the rotation.
Butler has a connection to Sunday’s opponent. The Raiders drafted him in the fifth round in 2022 out of Tennessee and later brought him up from their practice squad.
49ers Look at 3 Defensive Backs After Releasing Jack Jones
Christian Braswell, Kyu Blu Kelly and David Long rounded out the workout group. Kelly, a Stanford product, also spent time with Las Vegas. The Raiders signed him to their active roster in 2024 after initially bringing him in on the practice squad.
Jones had appeared in seven games for San Francisco this season, registering 11 tackles and three passes defensed, according to his team bio. His departure gives the 49ers a practical reason to look at more defensive backs. The team’s depth chart lists Renardo Green and Deommodore Lenoir at outside cornerback, Upton Stout at nickel and Ephesians Prysock behind Lenoir.
The workout entries establish who came in for a look. A practice-squad signing would give the 49ers another player to develop or elevate when needed. A move onto the 53-man roster would tell us more about how urgently they want help ahead of the Raiders game.
49ers Work Out 8 Defenders as D-Line Draws Focus After Buckner Trade