Alfred Collins Tears His Patellar Tendon In Australia And Is Out For The Season
The San Francisco 49ers arrived in Melbourne, Australia for their season opener against the Los Angeles Rams and immediately lost the player they were counting on to anchor their defensive line.
Starting defensive tackle Alfred Collins tore his patellar tendon in Tuesday's practice at AAMI Park, three days before Thursday night's game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, ending his second NFL season before it began.
"Alfred tore his patellar tendon yesterday," coach Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday. "That was a big loss. We've lost two D-linemen pretty much for the year after cuts and before the first game, which has been a huge challenge. I'm hurting for Alfred. It was real unfortunate for him."
Collins, a second-round pick in 2025 out of Texas, played 16 games as a rookie and was the projected starter next to Osa Odighizuwa in 2026.
He became briefly famous to Rams fans last season when he forced and recovered a fumble at the 49ers' own 1-yard line late in the fourth quarter to preserve a win at SoFi Stadium, against the same team he was supposed to play Thursday.
The injury came on the heels of defensive end Sam Okuayinonu going on IR with a broken foot over the weekend. C.J. West and rookie Gracen Halton, who is himself limited with an ankle, are the remaining healthy options at the position.
