San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch has spent NFL free agency fine-tuning on the defensive side of the ball.
That has included adding EDGE rusher Leonard Floyd and linebacker Eric Kendricks, among others .
With free agency set to officially open on Wednesday, San Francisco is now going the trade route. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the 49ers have acquired veteran defensive tackle Maliek Collins from the Houston Texans. In return, Houston acquires a seventh-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
This comes with the 49ers set to release their longest-tenured player in that of Arik Armstead once the new league year starts. It also comes one day after San Francisco signed fellow defensive tackle Jordan Elliott from the Cleveland Browns.
Related: San Francisco 49ers linked to Joey Bosa in trade with Los Angeles Chargers
Impact of San Francisco 49ers acquiring Maliek Collins
A third-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys in the 2016 NFL Draft out of Nebraska, Collins has morphed into a solid starter throughout his career.
He signed with Houston ahead of the 2021 season and has been a full-time starter during that span. This past season saw Collins rack up career-highs in QB hits (18) and sacks (five) while starting all 16 games in which he appeared for the Texans.
Collins will now join a 49ers defensive tackle rotation that consists of the aforementioned Elliott as well as Pro Bowler Javon Hargrave. Expect youngster Kalia Davis to also see an uptick in playing time this coming season. It also wouldn’t be a surprise if San Francisco exhausted one of its early-round selections in the 2024 NFL Draft on this position.
Related: Updated NFL trade tracker
As for Houston, this potentially opens the door for head coach DeMeco Ryans and Co. to sign Armstead. The former first-round pick played under Ryans when he was San Francisco’s defensive coordinator back in 2021 and 2022.