The San Francisco 49ers certainly have plenty of questions surrounding their defensive line this offseason, ones highlighted by season-ending injuries to two of their biggest players: defensive ends Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams.
A primarily young and patchworked group managed to compile the league's fewest sacks (20) in 2025, indicating the Niners need not only to get both Bosa and Williams back but also must round out the depth behind those two to have solid rotation.
One depth contributor, Robert Beal Jr., likely won't be part of that equation.
Beal, a fifth-round pick by San Francisco in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Georgia, was seen as a raw-but-promising prospect who, with tutelage from defensive line coach Kris Kocurek, could turn into a quality pass-rushing reserve, not unlike what the 49ers used to have with former defensive end Ronald Blair in previous years.
Yet Beal never amounted to that, appearing in just 14 games over his first two seasons and logging a single sack over that span.
If those two underwhelming years didn't cement the edge rusher's future in the Bay Area, 2025 certainly did.
And it's obvious what'll happen next.
49ers won't hesitate to let Robert Beal walk in free agency
2025 was a make-or-break year for Beal, especially in light of the Niners investing three of their first five draft picks that April on the D-line, the first of which was used on Williams.
By the end of training camp, it was clear Beal was well behind other role players like Sam Okuayinonu on the depth chart, so it wasn't exactly shocking to see San Francisco waive the former after Week 1 of the regular season, subsequently signing him to the practice squad.
Beal bounced back and forth from the practice squad to the active roster multiple times throughout the rest of the season, but with the 49ers also adding defensive ends like Keion White and Clelin Ferrell, it was clear Beal wasn't going to cement a long-term role beyond the year.
Now, as a restricted free agent entering 2026, there doesn't seem to be any scenario in which the Niners would welcome Beal back.
Sure, Beal was a fifth-round pick, and day-three draftees aren't exactly seen as lofty investments.
That said, acknowledging the hype that was once associated with Beal after he was drafted, it's hard not to avoid the disappointment knowing he never quite impacted San Francisco in the way fans had hoped.