Report: 49ers sign veteran DT to practice squad amidst injury woes

Dec 21, 2023, 9:05 AM

Taylor Stallworth #95 of the Indianapolis Colts against the New England Patriots at Lucas Oil Stadi...

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

San Francisco 49ers Beat Writer

It didn’t take long for the 49ers to address its’ injury concerns on the defensive front, reportedly signing a veteran defensive tackle.

Reports surfaced Thursday morning that the San Francisco 49ers have added DT Taylor Stallworth to the practice squad. The move comes after injuries to the defensive line forced SF to exhaust all options, calling up practice squad players for last Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.

The news was announced by Stallworth’s agent, Brett Tessler of Tessler Sports, Thursday.

The San Francisco 49ers just signed my client Taylor Stallworth to their practice squad. 6th year veteran D-Tackle recently came off IR with the Tennessee Titans.

— Brett Tessler (@TesslerSports) December 21, 2023

Taylor Stallworth, 28, has been in the NFL since 2018. He has featured for five teams, most recently coming off injury reserve with the Tennessee Titans. In six seasons, the Alabama native has recorded 52 combined tackles, 14 quarterback hits and 4.5 sacks. He was also a part of the 2022 Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, playing six games in KC.

While it remains to be seen how much time on the field he will see with the Red & Gold, his addition signals more help was needed for the NFC leaders.

The 49ers have suffered numerous injuries on the defensive side of the ball the last few weeks, especially at DT. Both starters Arik Armstead and Javon Hargrave missed Week 15’s matchup due to injury. Additionally, backup DT Kalia Davis has been placed on IR with a high-ankle sprain, making the team rail-thin on the interior.

“We have guys on our practice squad as you guys see that we used last week. We also aren’t exactly sure when Hargrave and Armstead are coming back. We do know they have chances this week. So, there’s a lot of variables that are playing together that we’ll be discussing here the rest of the day, tomorrow. Even if we don’t make a move in any area, that’ll probably be continuing throughout the year,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday.

San Francisco has indeed chosen to add more members amidst injury concerns, with Stallworth joining DTs T.Y. McGill and Spencer Waege on the practice squad.