The San Francisco 49ers announced that safety Talanoa Hufanga has been placed on injured reserve after suffering a torn ACL on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. To fill Hufanga's roster spot, the team signed offensive lineman Ben Bartch off the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad to a one-year deal.
The 49ers Communications staff provided the following rundown.
Bartch (6-6, 315) was originally drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fourth round (116th overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft. Throughout his four-year career with the Jaguars (2020-23), he has appeared in 41 games (20 starts). In 2023, he appeared in eight games and made three starts. Bartch was waived by Jacksonville on October 31, 2023, and signed to the team's practice squad on November 3, 2023.
A 25-year-old native of McMinnville, OR, Bartch attended St. John's University (MN) for four years (2016-20) where he appeared in 36 games and earned All-MIAC Second-Team honors in 2018.
Hufanga (6-0, 200) started in all 10 of the team's games this season and registered 51 tackles, three passes defensed and three interceptions.