49ers depth chart: 3 players who see reduced role in 2021
By Peter Panacy
No. 3: 49ers Defensive Tackle Kevin Givens
With his offseason legal issues now behind him, third-year defensive tackle Kevin Givens now faces a challenging battle to secure a spot as a depth member of a revamped defensive line heading into 2021.
A year ago, Givens seemingly shot out of nowhere en route to appearing in 13 games and recording 19 tackles, three quarterback hits, a sack and a fumble recovery, thanks largely to a slew of injuries the 49ers suffered along the D-line.
This led to a solid belief the Niners could go with Givens over then-pending free-agent defensive tackle D.J. Jones in the coming years.
But Jones was brought back on a one-year deal, yet that’s not the sole reason why Givens sees a significant drop from the 37 percent of defensive snaps he played a year ago.
On top of the Jones transaction, San Francisco also inked more depth interior linemen in Zach Kerr and Maurice Hurst, who stand as good a chance as Givens to crack the 53-man roster. Defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans singled out Givens during organized team activities, which is a plus for Givens’ roster chances. But the former Penn State defensive lineman is likely to provide far lesser a service to the defense with so many other quality backups now added to the depth chart.