San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Alfred Collins tore his patella tendon and will miss the entirety of the 2026 season. The injury occurred in Australia in the days leading up to Thursday night’s NFC West clash between the 49ers and Los Angeles Rams.
Collins is a promising second-year defensive lineman. San Francisco embraced a defensive youth movement over the 2025 offseason and attempted to emulate the Rams’ 2023-2024 turnaround. Collins was a significant piece of that investment as a second-round pick. The 49ers are also missing their first round pick from the same draft class, Mykel Williams, who suffered a season-ending injury last year and remains on the NFL’s Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list.
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Even more troubling is the history of recoveries from patellar injuries. This is a setback that not only threatens Collins’ 2026 season but the trajectory of his career. This is an injury that carries “one of the highest risks of long-term performance decline”, especially among heavier players like offensive and defensive linemen.
Collins is a significant loss for the 49ers. There is no obvious replacement for him on the roster. CJ West was drafted two rounds after Collins in 2025. He will likely be the next man up, although he earned a lowly Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade of just 39.7 as a rookie. The other alternative is fourth-round rookie Gracen Halton from Oklahoma. If the 49ers were still in the United States, they could likely find a street free agent to be ready by Thursday night. It may be impossible to call in reinforcements to Australia on such short notice.
Stay tuned for all updates for the Rams’ season opener on Thursday, and be sure to check out Turf Show Times’ gameday coverage.
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