The San Francisco 49ers added a familiar local face to their roster on Monday, August 24, signing defensive lineman Viliami Fehoko Jr. to a one-year contract, according to Heavy.com. A Mountain View native who starred at St. Francis High School before a standout career at San Jose State, Fehoko now gets a late-summer audition to carve out a role in the trenches as the team trims down toward the regular season.
Clearing Room in the Bay Area
To make space for Fehoko on the 90-man roster, San Francisco parted ways with tight end Josiah Deguara. According to Heavy.com, Deguara’s departure comes just 24 days after the organization initially signed him on July 31.
The sudden shift in personnel highlights the fluid math NFL front offices face during training camp. While Deguara arrived with substantial league experience—appearing in 77 regular-season games with 12 starts and hauling in 53 catches for 471 yards and three touchdowns over his career—the tight end room shifted rapidly in late August. The 49ers activated star tight end George Kittle from the physically unable to perform list on August 23, dodging a scenario where Kittle would have missed the first four games of the regular season.
Simultaneously, San Francisco re-signed young tight end Khalil Dinkins to a three-year deal after previously waiving the undrafted Penn State product from the non-football injury list. Those moves rendered Deguara expendable, freeing up the necessary roster spot to evaluate pass-rush depth.
From Mountain View to a Mountain of Work
For Fehoko, the journey back to Northern California represents a fresh chapter in a professional career that has seen its share of stops. Selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round (No. 129 overall) of the 2023 NFL Draft, the 6-foot-4, 267-pound defender enters his latest opportunity looking to translate dominant college traits into regular-season snaps.
During his stellar collegiate tenure at San Jose State, Fehoko racked up 191 tackles, 46 tackles for loss, and 23 sacks, culminating in him winning the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year award in 2022, as detailed by Heavy.com.
Despite those lofty college credentials, regular-season success at the professional level has proved elusive. Fehoko spent time with the Dallas Cowboys, Washington Commanders, and Indianapolis Colts organizations without appearing in a single regular-season game, according to Heavy.com and reporting from 49ers Webzone. His rookie season in Dallas was interrupted by a knee injury that landed him on injured reserve, and subsequent stints in Washington and Indianapolis ended via waivers.
Auditioning Amid Roster Squeezes
Fehoko was one of three pass rushers who worked out for San Francisco over the weekend, alongside Diwun Black and Ron Stone, according to Heavy.com. The 49ers brought in the reinforcements as they manage minor health concerns in the defensive front, including rookie defensive end Romello Height nursing an injury, noted 49ers Webzone, alongside the earlier departure of Xavier Thomas.
With final roster cuts looming, Fehoko’s window to impress head coach Kyle Shanahan and the defensive coaching staff is exceptionally brief. Whether he secures a spot on the initial 53-man roster or fights to earn a place on the practice squad, the former Spartans star has a clear runway to prove he belongs in his own backyard.
