The 49ers’ revamped defensive line will include three players making their season debuts in Week 3.
The 49ers on Saturday signed defensive lineman Viliami Fehoko to their 53-man roster to take a roster spot that opened when the team placed wide receiver Demarcus Robinson on injured reserve with a high-ankle sprain.
The 49ers also elevated defensive tackles Kevin Givens and Sebastian Valdez from the practice squad to suit up for the 49ers’ game Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi’s Stadium.
The 49ers’ defensive line took four hits in the past week.
Rookie defensive tackle James Thompson Jr. sustained a high-ankle sprain in the 49ers’ win over the Miami Dolphins last week. Romello Height will miss at least one game after undergoing surgery to repair a fractured hand. CJ West was placed on injured reserve on Wednesday when he required surgery to remove bone chips in his knee.
Then, star defensive end Nick Bosa sustained a calf injury during warmups before practice on Thursday. He is expected to miss “a few weeks,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said.
Fehoko, Givens and Valdez figure to see action Sunday as part of a nine-player defensive line rotation. Earlier this week, the 49ers signed defensive lineman Naquan Jones off the Minnesota Vikings’ practice squad.
Fehoko and Valdez are set to appear in the first NFL games of their careers. Fehoko was a fourth-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys in the 2023 NFL Draft after a standout career at San Jose State. He attends Saint Francis High in Mountain View.
Valdez signed with the 49ers in 2025 as an undrafted rookie from Washington and spent his entire rookie season on the practice squad.
Givens will see action in a game for the 49ers for the eighth consecutive season. Givens, 29, has appeared in 70 games with 14 starts. He has 92 career tackles with eight quarterback sacks.
On the other side of the ball, the 49ers did not make any moves.
Veteran Brandon Cooks signed with the 49ers’ practice squad this week, but he will not be in uniform on Sunday. Instead, the 49ers plan to go with second-year receiver Jordan Watkins, a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
“This is a huge opportunity,” Shanahan said of Watkins on 49ers game plan. “He just came into my office a few weeks ago asking what he could do to get this opportunity.
“And I said, ‘Well, you got to be ready for when someone has an injury.’ And we got it about two days later, and here he is. So he’s been working hard for this opportunity. I think he’s going to play really well for us and I’m excited to get him out there.”
Mike Evans, who is listed as questionable with a hip condition, is expected to be one of five receivers active for Sunday’s game, along with Deebo Samuel, KhaDarel Hodge, Jacob Cowing and Watkins.
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