Sam Okuayinonu flashed a lot of promise during his first year with the 49ers, but offseason changes put his roster spot in jeopardy.

San Francisco 49ers defensive end Sam Okuayinonu (91) | Brooke Sutton/GettyImages 

The first name San Francisco 49ers fans think when asked about the team’s pass rush is likely going to be All-Pro Nick Bosa, and there may be other references to new offseason additions, such as Bryce Huff and the top-drafted rookie, Mykel Williams.

Yet rotational pass-rushers are vital, too, entering in at key points during the game to spell the starters and provide a different look on defense.

A year ago, the Niners found something of a hidden gem when they inked former Tennessee Titans defensive end Sam Okuayinonu, who didn’t originally make the 53-man roster out of training camp but nevertheless found himself promoted to the active group for 16 games and even managed to record three sacks on 450 defensive snaps in the process, suggesting he might be a valuable piece to San Francisco’s pass-rushing depth.

But, that was all before the 49ers underwent some serious offseason changes to their defensive line.

Sam Okuayinonu might be odd man out in 49ers’ D-line rotation

The undrafted defender out of Maryland seemed to take full advantage of defensive line coach Kris Kocurek’s tutelage a year ago, yet Okuayinonu is still a liability against the run, making him primarily a third-down rotational piece.

In many ways, Huff is similar, a pass rush-only kind of player. But Huff, a hand-picked trade pickup by defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, boasts a 10-sack campaign during his New York Jets days in 2023, and that’ll go well above the attention of Okuayinonu’s modestly good 2025 efforts.

Plus, the addition of Williams clogs the top end of the D-line depth chart, meaning Okuayinonu will have to showcase some interior rushing capabilities to increase his roster stock while proving his value over other fringe linemen like Robert Beal Jr., Yetur Gross-Matos and Tarron Jackson.

The good news is Okuayinonu has to beat out only one or two of those names to stand a real chance.

But, with zero in guaranteed money on his one-year contract, it’ll be an easy decision for the Niners if he fails to impress enough during training camp and into the preseason.

Okuayinonu is the definition of a fringe player whose splash-down landing spot could be anywhere from a key member of the D-line rotation to off the roster entirely by the time Week 1 rolls around.