Getty Drake Jackson and Nick Bosa before the October 9, 2022 road game in Charlotte.
The San Francisco 49ers didn’t waste any time in responding to one of their significant injuries from the Sunday, October 9 romp over the Carolina Panthers.
Lead pass rusher Nick Bosa, who entered the Week 5 tilt leading the NFL with eight sacks, left during the second half with a groin injury. Head coach Kyle Shanahan provided this update on the fourth-year defender to the Bay Area media on Monday, October 10.
“We’ll re-evaluate him on Wednesday when we start to practice,” Shanahan said (h/t 49ers Web Zone).
He added how Bosa’s injury lingered into Monday.
“It was bothering him today, so yeah, you always want to use caution, especially with Nick on that type of stuff,” Shanahan explained. “But I know if he went today, if we practiced today, he couldn’t go. I’m hoping that he does better throughout this week but yeah, it wasn’t feeling great today.”
The 49ers have already had to operate without Javon Kinlaw and Arik Armstead in the Panthers game. But in response to the Bosa injury, the 49ers tried out four defensive linemen via the league’s transaction wire. Here’s who tried out:
Kevin Atkins, Defensive Tackle
Atkins is already familiar with the 49ers Faithful — he got his first NFL break with the Niners as an undrafted free agent.
The former Fresno State Bulldog was among 14 undrafted free agents signed by the team on May 2, 2022 following the draft. He became beloved among 49er fans who attended training camp for hyping up the crowd:
Yes, Drake Jackson did flip for rookie hype machine — but far away from my camera. Rookie 49ers D-lineman Kevin Atkins (out of Fresno State) joined Jackson on the hype machine
Atkins snatched one tackle in his last live appearance as a 49er in the final preseason game versus the Houston Texans. The 6-foot-2, 307-pounder tallied 48 total snaps in the three preseason contests per Pro Football Focus.
Sheldon Day, Defensive Tackle
Like Atkins, Day has familiarity with the 49ers.
Day was there from 2017 to 2019 when Robert Saleh served as defensive coordinator. Day had his most action as a 49er — playing 34 of his 67 career games in the S.F. uniform per Pro Football Reference. He’s also delivered his most career sacks and tackles while with the 49ers.
The 6-foot-1, 294-pound Day was last seen with the Cleveland Browns but the 28-year-old remains a free agent.
T.Y. McGill, Defensive Tackle
The journeyman nose tackle McGill rounds out the DT trio who worked out for the 49ers.
McGill first came to the league out of North Carolina State after going undrafted in 2015. He was eventually waived that season before he found a new home with the Indianapolis Colts.
But from there, the 6-foot-1, 294-pound has had the following stints in chronological order from 2017 to 2022: Cleveland, Kansas City, L.A. Chargers, Philadelphia, a second Chargers stint, Washington, a third Chargers stint, New Orleans, a second Eagles stint, a brief return to Washington and most recently, Minnesota. McGill became a preseason force with the Vikings, stacking four sacks including in the preseason game versus the 49ers.
Austin Edwards, Defensive End
Edwards was the lone defensive end representative trying out for the 49ers.
He’s also a NCAA Division II prospect who starred at Ferris State, where he won the Gene Upshaw Award for best D2 defensive lineman in 2019.
The towering 6-foot-5, 280-pound Edwards has suited up for the Atlanta Falcons (the first team that signed him in 2020 as a UDFA) and recently the Chiefs.