Austin Bryant has always had talent, but injuries got in the way. Perhaps strong support from the 49ers can make all the difference.
The San Francisco 49ers have a long history of taking underperforming or lesser-known defensive players and turning them into top-flight players within a year or two. In recent years, Kerry Hyder, Arden Key, Jordan Willis and Charles Omenihu have all been little-discussed defensive linemen who, under the close watch of defensive line coach Kris Kocurek, have become top-flight pass rushers for the Niners’ B-team.
Aside from Hyder, the other names are now gone. But Kocurek has two new veteran teams to work with through 2023: Clelin Ferrell and Austin Bryant.
Niner Noise’s annual look at every single player on the San Francisco roster will later delve into Ferrell, and now it’s Bryant who commands the attention.
A fourth-round pick for the Detroit Lions in 2019 by Clemson, Bryant always had the talent to do it.
The #49ers sign DE/LB Austin Bryant to a one-year deal.
You seem to have a guy at EDGE. Check out Bryant’s percentile for arm length and wingspan: pic.twitter.com/SMzZXS25o9
— Akash Anavarathan (@akashanav) March 23, 2023
However, injuries largely stood in the way.
Bryant ended up on injured reserve in his rookie season due to a chest injury. The following year, 2020, he started the season on the reserve/physically incapable list and was not activated until November of the same year.
2021 turned out to be Bryant’s best year as a pro, and health was a big reason for that. In 14 regular-season games, he had 4.5 sacks, 31 tackles, including five losses, and six quarterback hits.
However, the following season Bryant was relegated to a rotating role. And the 4.5 sacks from 2021 remain his career total.
So why would the 49ers want anything to do with him?
The 2023 offseason was pretty turbulent, at least as far as the Niners and their edge rushers are concerned.
Omenihu and Samson Ebukam both left through free NFL agency. Willis too. And while San Francisco was able to keep Hyder, the need to have some other substitutes to back up Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa was still crucial.
That’s where both Bryant and Ferrell came in, two pass rushers whose careers just never turned into anything for one reason or another.
At 6’1″ and weighing 250 pounds, Bryant definitely fits the mold of a top-notch edge rusher, at least physically. And the 49ers felt the need to bolster the back end of their pass-rushing department, so offering the 26-year-old Bryant a one-year deal worth up to $965,000 is a very easy move.
So if Kocurek is able to work his magic on Bryan in a similar way as he previously did on players like Key and Hyder, this low-risk move might pay off.
Do you remember what role Willis used to play in the Niners? In case you forgot, Willis was a situational pass rusher who could spot the starting point in the event of an injury, but mostly saw his time at the bottom of the depth chart and on special teams.
With Willis gone, the need for one of those rotating pass rushers became apparent again, although San Francisco won’t expect too much from Bryant other than to fill the gap at the back end of the roster.
Bryant has a $550,000 guarantee in his contract, which is a good indication he’ll make the 53-man roster if he’s healthy. Still, he’s a player who comes on for no more than 10 to no more than 15 snaps per game, despite being expected to contribute on special teams.
Continue reading: The 49ers 2023 schedule is out and we’ve predicted every game
However, Kocurek has turned previously lesser-known players into solid backup players for Bosa and it’s possible the position coach insisted the organization sign Bryant.
Should the latter happen, that would be another great example of Kocurek polishing gems out of seemingly nowhere.
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