The San Francisco 49ers begin OTAs next week, but before that happens, they have been busy this week trying to find some veteran help for the defensive line. On Thursday, Ian Rapoport reported the team brought in defensive end Cedric Reed for a workout. Aaron Wilson reported on Friday that the 49ers also worked out defensive tackle Kedric Golston for a workout. Turns out, it was a hat trick. Matt Maiocco is reporting the team also brought in defensive lineman Carlos Wray for a workout.
Wray entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent last season out of Duke. He signed with the Los Angeles Chargers, but suffered a foot injury early in training camp. The team waived him with an injury designation, but it appears they did not release him from the injured reserve list until November.
There’s not a lot out there on Wray, but I did come across this 2015 ranking that had him as the fifth best defensive tackle in the ACC. Here’s what they had to say about him:
Carlos is a hold the point interior linemen that has a high motor and is always in pursuit of the ball carrier. Wray isn’t the most athletic but he makes up for it with low pad level and usage.
The 49ers defensive line has felt like one of the deeper units on the roster. I suppose that’s a low bar given the questions up and down the roster, but it’s still interesting to see them keeping busy looking for ways to upgrade that area more than any other. The team signed Earl Mitchell, re-signed Chris Jones, and drafted Solomon Thomas and D.J. Jones. They have a lot of returning players on the interior as well, but maybe we see some serious turnover in 2017.