Expect 49ers Javon Kinlaw to Have a Breakout Year

The San Francisco 49ers drafted Javon Kinlaw with the 14th overall pick in 2020. Since being drafted, Kinlaw has only participated in 858 snaps. His career totals are as follows: 29 pressures, 1.5 sacks, four hits, and 22 hurries. Kinlaw produced a total of two batted-down passes, 45 total tackles, and one interception for a touchdown. For a first-round defensive tackle, these numbers aren’t eye-popping.

Kinlaw enters the fourth year of his contract. According to reports, the 49ers don’t plan to exercise the fifth-year option on Kinlaw. General manager John Lynch stated that the team doesn’t plan to trade him and that his surgically repaired knee is much improved, per Cam Inman.

“That will allow defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw to work part-time in a robust rotation,” wrote Inman. “Kinlaw, by the way, is starting this offseason with a healthier knee than in past years. The 49ers have no designs to trade him ahead of the fourth (and final) year of his rookie contract.”

So what has been the cause of Kinlaw’s unproductive play on the football field? The answer, in simplest form, is his injuries. Kinlaw hasn’t been able to put together successful gameplay because of his inability to be on the field. In the 2022 season, he went on the injured reserve list due to his ongoing knee issues, which reached a tipping point during the Week 3 game against the Denver Broncos.

“Now he is healthy,” Lynch said. “He gets to be a part of how we rotate guys in and out. He’s going to be part of that rotation.”

With the addition of signing Javon Hargrave, Kinlaw will fall into the rotation of defensive linemen, meaning fresh legs, less wear and tear, and less pressure on him being an every-down defensive tackle. With Kinlaw healthy, this helps the 49ers and tremendously helps his value. Expect the defensive tackle to have a breakout year with the 49ers.