Niners Nation
The San Francisco 49ers officially signed defensive tackle Evan Anderson to the practice squad. That felt like a given, even after initially releasing Anderson a couple of days ago. The team added an offensive lineman to the practice squad.
Kilian Zierer, an undrafted free agent out of the 2023 NFL Draft, is now on the practice squad. The 49ers are really beefing up in the trenches, which is wise. To make room for Zierer, the team released edge rusher William Bradley-King.
Since Zierer is from Munich, he qualifies for the NFL’s International Pathway Program. That exception allows you to have 17 players on the practice squad, as opposed to 16.
Zierer signed with the Houston Texans after the ’23 draft. He had an ankle injury during the preseason of his rookie year that landed him on the season-ending Injured Reserve List. He was on the Texans’ practice squad in 2024. This past offseason, Zierer signed with the Atlanta Falcons, but was waived on August 2. The Cleveland Browns signed him one day later, but waived him this past week.
Zierer, 6’7″, 312 pounds, played 27 snaps at left tackle this past season and 32 snaps at right tackle. That positional versatility likely made him attractive to the 49ers, as they can use him on both sides to give Robert Saleh’s defense a better look leading up to games.
Per Pro Football Focus, Zierer didn’t allow a pressure in 33 pass blocking attempts. In the preseason finale, he also earned a 91.1 run blocking grade.
Here’s a look at the 17-member practice squad:
WR Robbie Chosen
DT Sebastian Valdez
DT Evan Anderson
OG Nick Zakelj
OT Kilian Zierer (International Pathway)
LB Curtis Robinson
WR Junior Bergen
DE Trevis Gipson
CB Eli Apple
CB Derrick Canteen
LB Jalen Graham
OL Drake Nugent
WR Malik Turner
TE Brayden Willis
