San Francisco 49ers ILB Ray-Ray Armstrong suffered a pectoral tear during the second half of Sunday's loss to the Carolina Panthers and will go on the injured reserve list. The move opens up a roster spot for the 49ers. "It sucks," said 49ers defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil while discussing Armstrong's injury. "I thought he was playing his butt off."
ILB Gerald Hodges took over for Armstrong on Sunday when he left the game. O'Neil would not commit to who might replace Armstrong. "Like I said, it was a three-man competition for a long time to see who was going to win that Will linebacker position," said O'Neil. "We still have two guys that we feel are NFL starters."
The "two guys" that were competing with Armstrong during the offseason were Hodges and Michael Wilhoite.
Armstrong arrived in San Francisco after the 49ers claimed him off of waivers from the Oakland Raiders back in November. He was not selected in the 2013 NFL Draft, but was signed as an undrafted free agent by the St. Louis Rams.
Armstrong, who is now 25, appeared in five games for San Francisco last season, making three tackles. This season was Armstrong's fourth in the league and he was one of the linebackers in rotation played inside next to NaVorro Bowman. He had appeared in the 49ers' first two games and had eight tackles, two passes deflected, and an interception.