5 San Francisco 49ers we can safely call busts after 2023 season
Not every player the Niners sign, draft or trade for can be a home-run hit.
By Peter Panacy
No. 4: 49ers edge Austin Bryant
Expectations were surely lower for defensive end Austin Bryant, a castoff free-agent pickup by San Francisco heading into 2023.
However, considering the 49ers were sorely lacking pass-rushing depth after losing edges Samson Ebukam and Jordan Willis that same offseason, Bryant would at least have a fighter's chance to carve out a decent role on the depth chart.
He didn't, though.
Bryant failed to make the 53-man roster. Once he was added back on, he managed to appear in just two games, notching just one tackle in the process before being released again in November.
Perhaps the fourth-round pick from the 2019 draft will have another shot, though, as the Niners signed him to a reserve/futures contract for 2024.
Just don't expect much out of him.