Why had 49ers' CJ West gone south? Severe knee injury provides context for awful opening

CJ West wasn’t playing well. Perhaps because he was playing hurt.

On Wednesday, three days after the second-year defensive tackle opened the season with his second straight poor performance, the San Francisco 49ers placed West on injured reserve with a bone chip in his knee that will require surgery.

West was driven backward and planted on his back on several snaps in a 35-13 win against the Dolphins on Sunday. He wasn’t looking good on the field, or on paper: West’s run-defense grade (26.4) ranks last among the 135 defensive interior linemen who have played at least 15 snaps against the run, according to Pro Football Focus’ grading system.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked if the 2025 fourth-round pick had been dealing with his knee injury for “a while.”

“He had something in (training) camp,” Shanahan said. “I don’t know if this is the same (injury), or if it was something new. But it was bothering him a lot after the game.”

West’s injury, which won’t end his season, Shanahan said, is the latest in the 49ers’ defensive trenches. Undrafted rookie defensive tackle James Thompson suffered a high ankle sprain against the Dolphins after starting defensive tackle Alfred Collins suffered a season-ending knee injury in practice on Sept. 8, two days before the season opener.

Before losing West and Thompson, the interior was an area of concern for Shanahan, who told Fox analyst Daryl Johnston last week that he was “worried” about the position group. Shanahan was asked Wednesday about his worry-meter.

“Anytime you have five D-tackles make a team and you’re down to two of them after two games,” Shanahan said, “that’s always a concern for anybody.”

Those two remaining defensive tackles Osa Odighizuwa and rookie fourth-round pick Gracen Halton, will start Sunday against the Cardinals. After that? The 49ers could be trotting out some just-arrived guys against Arizona.

On Wednesday, they signed defensive tackle Naquan Jones, 28, off the Vikings practice squad. They also signed defensive tackle Viliami Fehoko, 26, to their practice squad. Fehoko joined defensive tackles Kevin Givens and Sebastian Valdez on the practice squad. The 49ers will likely move two of their practice-squad defensive tackles to the active roster before Sunday’s game.

“We were able to sign one new guy and then we’ve got three guys on the practice squad that will be competing to see who’s (active),” Shanahan said. “We’ve got guys there in this building, so we’ve got to see how those guys step it up.”

The 49ers wouldn’t have drafted West last year if Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo had been available.

That’s according to Titans head coach Robert Saleh, who told reporters Wednesday that Shanahan wanted to take Skattebo before the Giants selected him in the fourth round at No. 105, eight spots before the 49ers were on the clock. The Titans will visit Skattebo and the Giants on Sunday.

“We were actually about to draft him in San Francisco – Kyle loved him,” said Saleh, the 49ers defensive coordinator in 2025. “And he ended getting taken right before were picking, and I think we ended up with CJ West, who was a pretty damn good player, too.”

The 49ers used a fifth-round pick last year on running back Jordan James before taking running back Kaelon Black with a third-rounder in April.

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This article originally published at Why had 49ers’ CJ West gone south? Severe knee injury provides context for awful opening.