George Odum’s Elbow Surgery: Could This Sideline His Season Completely?

It caught me off guard when the 49ers made the tough call to release George Odum this past Saturday—a guy who’s been a lynchpin on special teams. Turns out, the safety had elbow surgery last month due to an offseason injury, which is why he popped up on the non-football injury list just recently, as Ian Rapoport from NFL Media uncovered. The good news? Odum’s on track to bounce back in about six to eight weeks, opening the door for a potential mid-season signing. Last year, he stepped onto the field in a dozen games, racking up 16 tackles and knocking down four passes, showing solid presence both on defense and special teams. Over his career—spanning over 100 games—he’s been that reliable figure who quietly racks up tackles and disrupts plays. I can’t help but feel there’s more to his story yet. LEARN MORE

The safety has appeared in 105 games with 12 starts in his career for Indianapolis and San Francisco. He’s registered 200 total tackles, three interceptions and nine passes defensed.Odum should be healed in 6-8 weeks, per Rappoport, and he could sign with a team mid-season.Odum appeared in 12 games with two starts last season for the 49ers, recording 16 total tackles and four passes defensed. He was on the field for 19 percent of the defensive snaps and 69 percent on special teams in games played.It turns out Odum underwent elbow surgery last month from an offseason injury, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports. That’s how Odum landed on the non-football injury list earlier this week.The 49ers surprisingly released core special teams player George Odum on Saturday.