The San Francisco 49ers just snatched Keion White from the Falcons’ practice squad, a move that is basically a one-for-one swap for the injured Sam Okuayinonu on the IR. This isn’t just a minor depth chart shuffle, though. This tells you exactly how serious the Niners are about stacking their defensive line as they prepare for what Brock Purdy calls the “best in the NFL” NFC West.
Niners Bolster the D-Line with a Direct Swap
So, White, who they’re calling Kareem, is 6’4″, 268 pounds. Okuayinonu is 6’1″, 269 pounds. Talk about a physical match. The dude White brings in some serious measurables, too: his arm length was in the 83rd percentile and his hands were in the 95th percentile coming into the NFL. The plan is clear, he’s supposed to be disruptive against the run, just like Okuayinonu was when he played. Now, White hasn’t seen a ton of action since being drafted in the fifth round back in 2020, playing fewer than 200 snaps since 2022. He only appeared in four games last season, never even cracking 26 snaps in a single game. But get this: in just 31 snaps on the edge last season, he racked up four stops and five quarterback pressures. One of those stops and one of those pressures? Yeah, they came against the Rams in Week 17. So, there’s no mystery about how he handles Sean McVay’s offense. That’s a huge benefit right out of the gate.
Aaron Donald’s Week 1 Is a Total Mystery
Meanwhile, the rival Rams are dealing with some uncertainty themselves, especially with their biggest star. Aaron Donald is set to travel with the team to Australia, which sounds wild, right? Rams head coach Sean McVay told Benjamin Royer of the Orange County Register that he expects all his players to make the trip to Melbourne. But here’s the kicker: McVay admitted he “doesn’t have that sense quite yet” about whether Donald will actually play in the Week 1 game. That’s a massive question mark hanging over the start of the season for the Rams. You’ve got one team making surgical D-line moves and another sweating over their top defensive player’s availability for Week 1. It just makes the whole division picture so much more interesting.
As for the 49ers’ mindset, Brock Purdy sounds stoked. He mentioned that through all the adversity last year, the team really “figured out how to bond together through difficult times to win games.” And while he isn’t saying that’s an automatic win button for this year, he knows it “definitely gives us a really good chance. And that excites all of us.” With the NFC West shaping up to be a brawl, every move and every injury matters. That Week 1 matchup, especially if Donald isn’t a go, could set an early tone.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Niners Nation.
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