The San Francisco 49ers are facing yet another roadblock in what has already been a turbulent NFL offseason. The team will be without offensive lineman Isaac Alarcon for the first six games of the 2025 season after he was suspended for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing substances policy. The league officially announced the suspension on April 16, 2025, delivering another blow to a 49ers squad hoping to rebound after a disappointing 6-11 campaign last year.
Alarcon’s journey to this point has been anything but ordinary. The 26-year-old, who originally entered the league through the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program, first signed with the Dallas Cowboys in 2020. Though he remained on Dallas’ practice squad for several seasons, he never appeared in a regular-season game. After a brief stint trying his hand at defensive tackle in 2023, Alarcon eventually made his way to the 49ers, where he signed a futures contract and hoped to carve out a role on the active roster.
Standing at an imposing 6-foot-7 and weighing 320 pounds, Alarcon was expected to provide valuable depth behind starting right tackle Colton McKivitz. His size and athleticism made him an intriguing project for San Francisco’s coaching staff, and with a roster depleted by injuries and departures, Alarcon had a real chance to earn meaningful snaps in 2025. Now, that opportunity will have to wait, as Alarcon will be sidelined for the first month and a half of the regular season.
Despite the suspension, Alarcon is permitted to participate in the team’s offseason program, training camp, and preseason games. However, he will be ineligible to suit up for regular-season contests until Week 7. For a player still seeking his NFL debut, it’s a crushing setback at a critical juncture in his career.
The 49ers, meanwhile, continue to deal with mounting challenges. The team lost several key players this offseason, including wide receiver Deebo Samuel, safety Talanoa Hufanga, cornerback Charvarius Ward, and linebacker Dre Greenlaw. These losses, combined with a season marred by injuries to important contributors like Brandon Aiyuk, have left San Francisco scrambling to fill holes and regain the form that made them a perennial NFC contender just a few seasons ago.
Now, with Alarcon suspended and more uncertainty along the offensive line, the 49ers must further adjust their plans. Depth at tackle was already a concern entering the offseason, and losing another potential contributor only compounds the pressure on McKivitz and the rest of the offensive front.
San Francisco’s front office and coaching staff face an uphill climb to stabilize a roster that has undergone significant turnover. Isaac Alarcon’s suspension may not have involved a star player, but for a team with little margin for error, every setback matters. As the 49ers attempt to move past a rough 2024 campaign, they’ll have to do so with even fewer reinforcements than anticipated.
