49ers DT Alfred Collins suffered season-ending injury

The San Francisco 49ers received devastating news this week: they will be without one of their projected starters on the defensive front for the entire 2026 season.

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan revealed that second-year defensive tackle Alfred Collins tore his patellar tendon during Tuesday's practice (Monday in the United States).

"I'm hurting for Alfred," Shanahan said. "It happened yesterday during a period, right before we started going against each other, and it was real unfortunate for him."

It's a significant loss for a 49ers defense that was hoping to see Collins take a major step forward in his second NFL season.

The 49ers selected Collins (6-foot-5, 332 pounds) out of Texas in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. During his rookie campaign, Collins appeared in 16 games, making one start and recording 17 tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss, four quarterback hits, two passes defensed, and two forced fumbles.

One of last year's other draft picks, CJ West, could be among those asked to fill Collins' role alongside veteran Osa Odighizuwa. The 49ers also used a fourth-round pick on Gracen Halton this year, while undrafted rookie James Thompson Jr. could figure into the mix, although he has recently missed practice with a hamstring injury.

San Francisco also has defensive tackles Kevin Givens and Sebastian Valdez on the practice squad, giving the team additional options as it looks to compensate for the loss of Collins.