49ers roster: 5 players who will be given second chances in 2022

49ers player No. 4: Defensive tackle Maurice Hurst

Another pending free agent who the 49ers actually are bringing back on a one-year deal is veteran defensive lineman Maurice Hurst, who like Trent Sherfield, impressed a lot during training camp and seemed poised to become a regular piece of the team’s D-line rotation.

The only problem, though, is Hurst suffered a calf injury early in the year, and that essentially shut him down for the rest of the season, relegating the 26 year old to a mere two tackles over just two games played.

Nearly every other week, Hurst found himself either on injured reserve or on the weekly inactive list, prompting ideas the Niners will simply let him walk in NFL free agency.

However, San Francisco is also poised to lose nose tackle D.J. Jones to free agency, too, and Jones will certainly have a market for his services, potentially beyond what the 49ers would be able to afford on a re-sign deal.

Should that happen, and with concerns about fellow defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw working his way back from last year’s knee surgery, it might be wise enough to see if Hurst can push himself back into the forefront, finally emerging as that rotational piece the 49ers originally envisioned when onboarding him a year ago.