The San Francisco 49ers did plenty of shuffling with their defensive line during the offseason, including saying goodbye to defensive ends Clelin Ferrell and Bryce Huff, the latter opting to retire at age 27.
In return, the Niners traded for defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa, then drafted Romello Height and Gracen Halton to infuse some fresh blood into the mix.
All of these moves essentially happened well over the head of a relatively unheard-of defensive end, William Bradley-King.
Fans would be forgiven for not exactly knowing his name. The 28-year-old pro was a seventh-round draft choice of the Washington Football Team back in 2021, and he managed to appear in just four regular-season games with Washington before it fully relegated him to practice squad duties in 2023.
Following subsequent stints with both the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots, San Francisco grabbed him in August of 2025 and put Bradley-King on its own practice squad where he spent the duration of the year.
So, does that mean he's ticketed for a similar fate entering 2026?
Probably. But not necessarily fully.
William Bradley-King has to bank on 49ers injuries to crack 53-man roster
At this stage of his career, it's pretty safe to assume Bradley-King is little more than a camp body who's liked enough to hang around on a practice squad once the games actually count. That said, the 6-foot-4, 265-pound defender has a remote shot at working his way into the regular-season D-line rotation.
Depth is still a major concern for the 49ers heading into offseason programs. While star defensive end Nick Bosa is expected to be back and fully recovered from an ACL tear last year, fellow end Mykel Williams' own ACL recovery is far less certain, and it wouldn't be a shock if the 2025 Round 1 draftee missed time into the regular season.
With Bosa likely to be walked back into the mix slowly, that could open up additional chances in training camp for Bradley-King to make a positive impact.
Safer reserve names like Height and Sam Okuayinonu figure to be the biggest beneficiaries of any injury/depth issues, but if Bradley-King can outperform less-known options like Sebastian Valdez or the undrafted Mikail Kamara, then maybe the Niners would have no other choice but to get the former into the rotation.
Again, though, a lot would have to go Bradley-King's way for that to happen. Bosa and Williams' recoveries would be X-factors, while bigger investments like Okuayinonu and/or Height would have to struggle.
All likely? No. Possible? Sure.
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