Shanahan explains why 49ers put in waiver claim for DT Tillery originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
The 49ers almost had a boost to their banged-up defense. Almost.
ESPN senior NFL insider Adam Schefter reported Monday, citing sources, that the 49ers put in waiver claim on defensive lineman Jerry Tillery, the Los Angeles Chargers‘ 2019 first-round draft pick.
Tillery ultimately was awarded to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Along with the Raiders and 49ers, Schefter reported that the Detroit Lions, Carolina Panthers, Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets, New York Giants and Kansas City Chiefs put in a claim on Tillery.
When asked by reporters Monday if San Francisco’s waiver claim for Tillery was due to other factors, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan simply replied “no.”
“He’s just a good player that became available and [we] wanted to take our shot at it,” Shanahan said.
Drafted No. 28 overall in the 2019 NFL Draft, Tillery spent four seasons with the Chargers before being waived on Nov. 10. Tillery’s usage during the 2022 NFL season had been scarce, never playing more than 50 percent of the Chargers’ defensive snaps in any game this season.
Overall, Tillery had eight tackles and no starts in seven games played this year.
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Despite the 49ers’ defense being incomplete, they were able to muster together a strong second half, stifling Justin Herbert and the Chargers in their 22-16 win on “Sunday Night Football” at Levi’s Stadium.
Once the 49ers’ defense is healthy, the hope is that the unit is strong enough to lead the franchise to another Super Bowl title.