The 49ers took to the waiver wire to help their ailing defensive ends. With Nick Bosa, Dee Ford and Ronald Blair all nursing injuries, and Jonathan Kongbo recently waived/injured, San Francisco claimed James Lockhart from Pittsburgh. Well, at least they thought they did.
According to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle, the 49ers said that rookie defensive end James Lockhart has retired.
Lockhart was an undrafted free agent signee by the Steelers following this year’s draft. He played his college football at Texas A&M and the University of Baylor.
As a junior, he recorded 11 tackles, three tackles for loss and his first sack. He had a breakout season as a starter for the Bears in 2019, recording 31 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and 6.0 sacks – all career-highs.
