No other position experienced more offseason change for the San Francisco 49ers than the defensive line.
Yet, somehow, reserve defensive lineman Jordan Elliott managed to survive the tumult.
And it's pretty hard to understand why.
Sure, the Niners got rid of older, more expensive talent. Names like Javon Hargrave, Leonard Floyd and Maliek Collins were all shown the door in the Niners' high-profile cost-saving moves. And San Francisco responded by grabbing three defensive linemen within their first five picks of the 2025 NFL Draft: Mykel Williams, Alfred Collins and C.J. West.
Elliott, of course, was brought in as a free agent an offseason ago after a so-so four-year tenure with the Cleveland Browns. Thanks largely to injuries up front in 2024, the 6-foot-4 and 303-pound defender managed to start 13 of his 15 games played for San Francisco last season.
But, with Elliott a major reason why, the 49ers' run defense nevertheless struggled and convinced general manager John Lynch and Co. to completely overhaul this unit.
For those wondering how Elliott was part of the problem, his 53.1 Pro Football Focus run-defense grade is an example, and no sacks and two quarterback hits suggest he wasn't much of a factor in the pass-rush department either.
And yet the Niners didn't part ways.
Why didn't 49ers release Jordan Elliott?
Often, when a team going through significant roster changes doesn't part ways with a player, it's related to contracts, dead salary cap and so on.
But that doesn't explain Elliott's retention, as San Francisco could have saved $1.55 million in cap space against $1.86 million in dead money, had he been released prior to June 1, per Over the Cap. In the grand scheme of things, it's not a massive savings or cap hit, which also means the 49ers aren't bound to him, financially.
As far as a roster spot, the additions of West and Collins essentially telegraph the Niners' future plans.
Perhaps the only logical explanation is if the return of defensive coordinator Robert Saleh prompted a discussion about which players he wanted to keep on his revised D-line, and it's possible the former New York Jets head coach circled Elliott as a player worth keeping, either as a backup or a fill-in starter until one or both of his two interior rookies were ready.
That's the only way to fully explain Elliott's presence, and perhaps it turns out to be the right choice.
