The 49ers on Monday activated rookie defensive end Robert Beal Jr., and placed safety George Odum on IR in a corresponding move.
Beal, a fifth-round pick from Georgia, has a ton of physical tools and showed enough in his three weeks of practices to warrant an activation to the active roster. He provides more in-house depth on the edges, though it’s unclear whether he’ll suit up on game days.
It was a tumultuous first training camp for Beal who dealt with injuries that wound up forcing him to miss virtually the entire preseason. He went on IR immediately after making the 53-man roster with a hamstring injury.
In 37 college games Beal posted 73 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks for the Bulldogs.
Odum is a key special teams contributor who suffered a biceps tear in the 49ers win over the Seahawks. He may be out for the season, but he is eligible to be activated if he’s ready to return at the two-month end of his two-to-four month recovery timeline and the 49ers go on a deep playoff run.
