The San Francisco 49ers lost a handful of key players over the offseason, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. While they were aggressive in attacking that side of the ball in the 2025 NFL Draft, the front office still believes they could use some help there, which led to their latest free agent signing on Monday.
After getting beaten handily by the Denver Broncos in their preseason opener, it was clear that San Francisco had several holes on their roster that needed to be addressed. One such area is the defensive line, where several key players are currently dealing with injuries. With that in mind, the team went out and signed former Chicago Bears standout pass rusher Trevis Gipson.
49ers Shore Up Defensive Line with Travis Gipson Signing
San Francisco was battered by injuries in 2024, and their defensive line is already in pretty rough shape. At defensive end, first-round rookie Mykel Williams is banged up, as are Yetur Gross-Matos and Sam Okuayinonu. While superstar pass rusher Nick Bosa is still healthy, he can’t do everything by himself.
That led San Francisco to Gipson, a former fifth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. After breaking in with the Chicago Bears, Gipson enjoyed a standout 2021 campaign, racking up 39 tackles, seven sacks, two pass deflections, and five fumbles forced in 16 games, nine of which were starts. However, he wasn’t able to recreate that magic in 2022, and he ended up getting released before the start of the 2023 season.
Since then, Gipson has spent time with the Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Seattle Seahawks, but he has struggled to find consistent playing time. With San Francisco needing help along their defensive line, that led them to sign Gipson, who will come in and add some competition to a position group that sorely needs some reinforcements.
“Congrats to my guy Trevis Gipson on signing with the 49ers – let’s get it, T,” Gipson’s agent Murphy McGuire shared in a post on X.
Trevis Gipson Faces Long Odds to Make 49ers 53-Man Roster
GettyThe 49ers have shored up their defensive line by signing former Bears defensive end Trevis Gipson
While the Niners are banged up on their defensive line, the expectation is that the majority of their injured players will be ready come Week 1. Gipson will have a shot to make some noise, but he’s going to have to play like he did back in 2021 to have any shot at cracking the team’s 53-man roster. Otherwise, his late addition to the team will likely prove to be too much for him to overcome.
There’s no harm in this move for either side, as San Fran will see what Gipson has left in the tank, while Gipson will have an opportunity to show he can still perform in the NFL. It may not be the flashiest move, but considering the state of the 49ers’ defensive line, it’s worth taking a flier on Gipson to see if he can be turned into a pass-rush specialist for them. As a result, he will be worth keeping an eye on throughout the week at practice with his new squad.
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