The San Francisco 49ers invited three more players into their facility for a work out on Thursday, August 4, but this time all on the offensive side of the football and at the same position.
The team had already signed defensive linemen Tomasi Laulile and Akeem Spence during the week after both completed their tryouts. But the trio who went through drills in front of 49ers personnel all represent offensive tackle.
Here’s who worked out for the 49ers per the NFL’s transaction wire.
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Caleb Benenoch
The 27-year-old Benenoch is now searching for his eighth NFL stop.
The 6-foot-5, 305-pounder first came to the league as a fifth rounder and the 148th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft out of UCLA. While in Westwood, he gave the Bruins some versatility — starting in nine games as a tackle and four at guard in his final collegiate season of 2015 according to UCLA’s football website. He ended his Bruins career starting in 35 consecutive games.
Benenoch ended up blocking for Paul Perkins, who became UCLA’s third-leading rusher and the Pac-12 conference’s top rusher. One of his other teammates at UCLA? Former 49ers backup quarterback Josh Rosen.
He ended up sliding over to guard with the Bucs. In 2018, he started in all 16 games in Tampa Bay. But that would be the only time he started every game. The Bucs would release him on September 10, 2019.
From there, Benenoch has had stops in the following places: New England Patriots, Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, Buffalo Bills and New Orleans Saints. He also had a second stint with the Patriots in 2020. His last appearance on an active roster was on December 2, 2021 with the Saints.
Jordan Mills
Like Benenoch, Mills stands at a towering 6-foot-5 and came into the NFL out of the fifth round to the Chicago Bears.
And like the former UCLA Bruin, Mills has had multiple NFL stops…eight in the NFL to be exact.
The difference between both is that Mills is an elder tackle at 31-years-old. He also arrived to the league as a non-Power 5 conference prospect out of Louisiana Tech in the 2013 draft. He’s also one who has swung between tackle and guard — two positions he played while with the Bulldogs. He ended his CFB career as a First-Team selection in the Western Athletic Conference.
Mills’ NFL stops were the Bears, Cowboys, Lions, Bills, Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, and Saints. He was with Benenoch in New Orleans last season.
Tyree St. Louis
St. Louis rounds out the trio as the youngest member of the tryouts at 25 years of age.
Also standing at 6-foot-5, St. Louis entered the league as an undrafted free agent picked up by the Patriots. St. Louis, though, then landed at two more destinations that same year: With the Indianapolis Colts in September 2019 and the L.A. Chargers in October. He was waived by the Chargers on August 30, 2021 as the team cut down to their 53-man roster.
St. Louis managed to continue his career in the returning USFL. And in his first campaign in the league’s return, he won the USFL title with the Birmingham Stallions after defeating the Philadelphia Stars 33-30.
Noted by The Athletic’s David Lombardi, the tryouts came in the aftermath of tight end Jordan Matthews getting placed on injured reserve for his torn ACL that was revealed on Wednesday, August 3.
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49ers Work Out Veteran Journeymen & USFL Champion: Report