The 49ers on Saturday made an expected defensive line swap official when they placed DJ Jones on Injured Reserve, and activated Kentavius Street off IR.
Street was eligible to return since he made the initial 53-man roster, then immediately went on IR following arthroscopic knee surgery.
The 49ers took the hulking defensive lineman with a fourth-round pick in the 2018 draft despite his torn ACL in a pre-draft workout. That injury forced him out all of last season. He was eligible to return after eight weeks, but the team waited until Week 14 to open his practice window.
Street was a productive player for four years at North Carolina State. He racked up 120 tackles, 19 tackles for loss and eight sacks along a very good Wolfpack defensive line.
Jones suffered a high ankle sprain against the Saints that will sideline him for the rest of the year. His placement on IR opened the roster spot for Street.
It won’t be easy to replace Jones’ production. He was putting together a tremendous third season. He had 23 tackles, four tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks and two quarterback hits. Those were all career highs.
A thinning defensive line rotation means Street will likely see plenty of action in his NFL debut. Solomon Thomas and Sheldon Day are two candidates to line up at nose tackle, but Street can also play inside and should take some of Jones’ snaps.
