Niners Nation
The San Francisco 49ers announced they signed defensive lineman Bruce Hector to the team’s practice squad, releasing safety Jaylen Mahoney in a corresponding move.
The move to sign Hector comes after the 49ers worked him out along with several other defensive linemen, including Tommy Akingbesote, Shakel Brown, Hector, Michael Dwumfour, Jonathan Garvin, Jah Joyner, and DeMarcus Walker.
Hector had joined the team earlier this offseason on August 4th before being released ahead of the 53-man cutdown date on August 26th.
Throughout his seven-year career, he has played for the Philadelphia Eagles, Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, Tennessee Titans, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, and New York Jets. In 22 games, including one start, he has registered 21 tackles and 1.5 sacks. His career highs came in 2024, when he had 10 tackles and a sack for the Jets.
The 49ers are currently banged up along the defensive line. C.J. West played last week with a broken thumb. Robert Beal was unable to play due to an ankle sprain. Alfred Collins is currently being evaluated for a knee sprain. Kalia Davis is expected to miss a month with a broken hand. And Yetur Gross-Matos will miss some time with a hamstring strain.
That’s on top of Nick Bosa’s season-ending ACL tear, so the 49ers needed more depth urgently ahead of Week 6 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, hence the addition of Hector to the practice squad.
