For all the talk about the 49ers’ need for a difference-making pass rusher at defensive end, they’ve added just one true edge defender with their 19 picks in the last two NFL drafts.
And that player, Pita Taumoepenu, might finally get his first NFL snaps on defense Sunday against the Denver Broncos.
The University of Utah graduate was promoted from the practice squad this week after defensive end Dekoda Watson was placed on injured reserve with a torn calf suffered in last week’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Taumoepenu has spent his entire NFL career on the practice squad, save for two games late last season when he was only used on special teams, after he was made a sixth-round pick in 2017.