49ers lose DT Alfred Collins for the season with knee injury ahead of Rams opener in Australia

The San Francisco 49ers will be without a key piece to their defensive front this season after all.

Alfred Collins will miss the entire 2026 campaign after he went down with a torn patellar tendon in his knee this week in Melbourne, head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed on Wednesday. Specifics of the injury aren't yet known, but he is now done for the year.

The 49ers selected Collins with the No. 43 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft out of Texas, and he had a solid rookie campaign rotating through the defensive line. He had 17 total tackles and a sack, and recovered two fumbles, during his first season in the league.

Collins made quite the impression on his former defensive coordinator, too.

"Alfred, I know he was a second-round pick and all, but he's still probably the biggest surprise to me in terms of just how much better he got from training camp," Robert Saleh, now the head coach in Tennessee , told NBC Sports Bay Area in June . "As the season went on, I think he's going to be special. His mindset to get better, his work ethic, he's only going to get better. And when it triggers for him, he's going to be a bear to stop."

"Alfred, I know he was a second-round pick and all, but he's still probably the biggest surprise to me in terms of just how much better he got from training camp," Robert Saleh, now the head coach in Tennessee , told NBC Sports Bay Area in June .

"As the season went on, I think he's going to be special. His mindset to get better, his work ethic, he's only going to get better. And when it triggers for him, he's going to be a bear to stop."

But now, Collins will have to wait for a second season in the league.

It's unclear who the 49ers will bring in to replace Collins, but they have both defensive tackles Kevin Givens and Sebastian Valdez on the practice squad available.

The 49ers will open the 2026 NFL season against the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night in Melbourne, Australia. It marks the first regular-season NFL game to be played in the country. The 49ers made the trek over last week for an extended stay, while the Rams left on Tuesday night and will be in the country for only roughly three days.