49ers fans reacting to CB Tre Tomlinson claimed off Rams waivers is comedy gold

When the Los Angeles Rams declared that they would be releasing young cornerback Tre Tomlinson, the move made a lot of sense on many layers. For openers, while the Rams were optimistic that Tomlinson could repeat his collegiate football success in the NFL, that optimism was never rewarded. Tomlinson was less disciplined, less talented, and less durable than the Rams had hoped. And as the 2025 NFL season approaches, the team simply has too many players at too low quality to carry everyone.

And so, the Rams released Tomlinson. Even as it happened, it felt more like a Step-1 of an much more comprehensive plan, rather than a one-off release. But more about the Rams roster a bit later. You see, the story of young defensive back Tre Tomlinson has not ended. He was just claimed by the Rams NFC West Division rivals, the San Francisco 49ers. And if you check out the social media reaction from Niners fans, you'd think they got themselves a future Pro Bowler:

What do I mean? A guy was claimed off waivers, and he is already cited as a player with big time energy. Why is that so funny? He played a total of 45 defensive snaps over the life of his NFL career so far. Seems like someone is making a mountain over a molehill.

Can't give a standing ovation to the guy from his NFL career so far? No matter. Another 49ers fan, David Lombardi, researched all the way back to his college days for this little gemstone:

Another 49ers site was a bit more realistic, but in their haste to laud Tomlinson, they somehow managed to get the number of defensive snaps wrong. Tre Tomlinson played 45 snaps in 2023, not 23. In that season, Tomlinson allowed five of six passes to find their mark, including a touchdown reception. The quarterback rating when QBs threw his way was 158.3. Yikes.

Let me be clear. I hope the best for Tre Tomlinson. He is following his dream to play football in the NFL, and his career is not exactly under his control in terms of which team he plays for. I get that. But nothing about his NFL career so far suggests that he is more than a camp body fighting for a roster spot right now.

Yes, he could surprise folks. And yes, he did play at a higher level in college than he has shown in the NFL so far. But he was ejected from a preseason game for a violent facemask tackle of Denver Broncos rookie wide receiver Marvin Mims. That was such a horrific play that even then the limits to his pass coverage skills came into question.

49ers websites have played Tre Tomlinson up far too highly, which inevitably leads to unrealistic expectations followed by disappointment. I may hope for the best for Tre Tomlinson, but I do so while keeping one foot on the ground. I would be mildly surprised if he makes the San Francisco 49ers 53-man roster in 2025.

He is a bit smallish. He is definitely undisciplined. He has been injured a bit. And he has been ineffective when on the football field. So color me a bit skeptical over his contribution to the 49ers just yet.

As always, thanks for reading.

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