49ers Grab Khalid Kareem Off Falcons Practice Squad, IR Sam Okuayinonu
San Francisco placed Okuayinonu on IR with a foot injury and poached a former 5th-rounder who logged fewer than 200 snaps since 2022.
Rotational depth signing, not a fantasy asset until snaps climb.
- Okuayinonu placed on IR with foot injury
- Kareem drafted 5th round, 2020 NFL Draft
- Under 200 total snaps since 2022
- 4 stops, 5 QB pressures on 31 snaps last year
- Never topped 26 snaps in a game in 2025
The 49ers reshuffled their edge room days before Week 1, signing Khalid Kareem off the Falcons' practice squad and placing Sam Okuayinonu on Injured Reserve with a foot injury. It's about as clean a swap as roster moves get: Kareem checks in at 6'4", 268 pounds, Okuayinonu at 6'1", 269. Same job, similar frame.
Kareem is already reportedly en route to Melbourne for the international opener, which tells you the plan is to have him active. He's a run-defense specialist by trade — the kind of body Robert Saleh's front leans on to hold the point of attack. The 83rd-percentile arm length and 95th-percentile hand size were the traits that got him drafted in the 5th round back in 2020.
The problem is he's barely played since. Kareem has logged fewer than 200 snaps combined since 2022, appeared in just four games last season, and never cracked 26 snaps in any single outing. This is a depth signing, full stop — not a starter walking in the door.
That said, there's a small tell in his tape. Kareem racked up four stops and five quarterback pressures on 31 edge snaps a year ago, and one of each came against the Rams in Week 17. Given the 49ers open against Sean McVay's offense, that's not nothing — the coaching staff has recent, direct evidence he can hold up in this exact matchup.
What It Means For San Francisco's Front
This may not be the last move, either. Romello Height is dealing with an ankle issue, and the more bodies that go down, the more San Francisco leans on Nick Bosa and Keion White to carry the snap load. The team also stashed Kevin Givens on the practice squad, and he profiles as a game-day activation to give the defense a bigger interior body against the Rams' heavy personnel — a wrinkle Saleh used last season when the edge got thin.
For fantasy purposes, Kareem is a name to file away, not a name to roster. Deep-league IDP managers should note the situation more than the player: with Okuayinonu on IR and Height banged up, snap share is up for grabs behind Bosa and White. Bosa's the only edge here worth chasing in IDP formats, and if the injuries pile up, his workload only gets heavier. Leave Kareem on waivers until he shows he can hold a rotational role beyond 25 snaps a game.
