49ers Part Ways with Special Teams Ace George Odum

The San Francisco 49ers announced the release of George Odum on Saturday, marking a pivotal shift in their special teams strategy.

Odum, who was placed on the non-football injury list due to a knee issue on Friday, is now officially off the roster ahead of the first training camp practice set for Wednesday.

During his three seasons with the 49ers, Odum distinguished himself as a key player, leading the team with 759 special teams snaps and ranking fourth in the NFL with 36 special teams tackles.

In 2022, he earned second-team All-Pro honors but faced challenges with injuries, missing 11 games over the last two seasons.

This release comes as part of a broader overhaul of the special teams unit following struggles in 2024 that led to the dismissal of coordinator Brian Schneider. Brant Boyer has stepped in as the new coordinator, implementing changes including the addition of punter Thomas Morstead, who replaces Mitch Wishnowsky, and long snapper Jon Weeks, taking over for Taybor Pepper.

Additionally, kicker Greg Joseph has been brought in to compete with Jake Moody, alongside several players with notable special teams backgrounds. These include linebackers Chazz Surratt and Luke Gifford, tight end Luke Farrell, and defensive backs Richie Grant, Siran Neal, and Jason Pinnock.

As training camp begins, the Niners have also placed several players on injured lists. Receivers Brandon Aiyuk (knee) and Ricky Pearsall (hamstring), safety Malik Mustapha (knee), linebacker Curtis Robinson (knee), defensive lineman Yetur Gross-Matos (undisclosed), and offensive lineman Andre Dillard (undisclosed) are all on the physically unable to perform list.

Offensive lineman Ben Bartch is listed on the non-football injury list due to an undisclosed issue.