49ers ink Akeem Spence to help replace injured Maurice Hurst
By Peter Panacy
The 49ers are already shorthanded on their defensive line in training camp after losing Maurice Hurst to a biceps tear, so perhaps Akeem Spence will help.
There’s been only one full week of San Francisco 49ers training camp, yet head coach Kyle Shanahan’s defensive line is already seeing some notable attrition.
Defensive tackles Arik Armstead (MCL sprain) and Hassan Ridgeway (quad) are both banged up and expected to miss practice time, while the Niners suffered a significant blow to their depth with what’s likely a season-ending loss to veteran D-lineman Maurice Hurst, who tore his biceps during practice and will undergo surgery.
Brutal for him, as Hurst also dealt with calf injuries that limited him to just two regular-season games played in 2021.
49ers sign DL Akeem Spence after placing Maurice Hurst on injured reserve
San Francisco placed Hurst on injured reserve on Monday, and in a corresponding move with the extra roster spot, it signed veteran defensive tackle Akeem Spence to a one-year deal.
News was announced on the 49ers’ home website.
| Game | Game | Def | Fumb | Fumb | Tack | Tack | Tack | Tack | Tack | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Age | Tm | Pos | No. | G | GS | Int | FF | FR | Sk | Comb | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits |
| 2013 | 22 | TAM | RDT | 97 | 16 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 1.0 | 29 | 19 | 10 | 2 | 1 | |
| 2014 | 23 | TAM | rdt | 97 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3.0 | 37 | 27 | 10 | 4 | 7 | |
| 2015 | 24 | TAM | RDT | 97 | 8 | 7 | 1.0 | 11 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 5 | |||
| 2016 | 25 | TAM | 97 | 16 | 4 | 0.5 | 19 | 10 | 9 | 2 | 3 | ||||
| 2017 | 26 | DET | RDT | 97 | 16 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 3.0 | 39 | 19 | 20 | 4 | 9 | |
| 2018 | 27 | MIA | RDT | 93 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 2.0 | 42 | 23 | 19 | 6 | 9 | |
| 2019 | 28 | 2TM | 15 | 0 | 0.0 | 18 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 1 | |||||
| JAX | 97 | 9 | 0 | 0.0 | 11 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | ||||||
| PHI | 66 | 6 | 0 | 0.0 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 2020 | 29 | NWE | 52 | 6 | 0 | 0.0 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2021 | 30 | WAS | 69 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Career | Career | 110 | 57 | 1 | 4 | 10.5 | 205 | 123 | 82 | 19 | 35 | ||||
| 4 yr | 4 yr | TAM | 56 | 30 | 0 | 3 | 5.5 | 96 | 64 | 32 | 9 | 16 | |||
| 1 yr | 1 yr | DET | 16 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 3.0 | 39 | 19 | 20 | 4 | 9 | |||
| 1 yr | 1 yr | JAX | 9 | 0 | 0.0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | |||||||
| 1 yr | 1 yr | MIA | 16 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 2.0 | 42 | 23 | 19 | 6 | 9 | |||
| 1 yr | 1 yr | NWE | 6 | 0 | 0.0 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| 1 yr | 1 yr | PHI | 6 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||||||
| 1 yr | 1 yr | WAS | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com
Generated 8/1/2022.
Spence, the well-traveled journeyman who broke into the league with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a fourth-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft out of Illinois, has primarily been a rotational player ever since leaving the Bucs and working his way throughout the league.
Now 30 years old, the Niners may look to him as a rotational player again, taking Hurst’s spot on the depth chart and potentially backing up interior linemen such as Armstead, Ridgeway and third-year pro Javon Kinlaw.
Read More: Who’s hot, who’s not after one week of 49ers training camp
Whether or not Spence winds up making the 53-man roster come Week 1 is anyone’s guess, and it’s possible this transaction is to merely round out the practice units during camp and in preseason games.
At most, though, San Francisco probably just wants to avoid any further significant injuries, especially to its D-line.
Next. Ranking 49ers' 10 best teams in franchise history. dark