The defending NFC West champion San Francisco 49ers have lost several key component on their defensive line during the early stages of NFL free agency.
That includes Charles Omenihu, Samson Ebukam and Hassan Ridgeway signing elsewhere. While it might fly under the radar with bigger NFL news breaking, San Francisco did add a reinforcement immediately ahead of NFL free agency officially opening.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that San Francisco has inked former Las Vegas Raiders top-five pick Clelin Ferrell to a one-year contract.
This is an interesting move in that the 25-year-old Ferrell never really panned out with the Raiders after they selected him from Clemson back in the 2019 NFL Draft.
- Clelin Ferrell stats (2019-22): 32 QB hits, 15 tackles for loss, 10 sacks
With that said, the San Francisco 49ers have had a ton of success with reclamation projects under highly respected defensive coach Kris Kocurek. That includes the three key departures mentioned above.
Related: San Francisco 49ers NFL salary cap situation
Taking a chance on a still-young Ferrell via a low-risk signing makes sense for San Francisco given its salary cap situation and need to extend reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa.
It was earlier in the week that San Francisco made a splash move by signing Pro Bowl defensive tackle Javon Hargrave from the Philadelphia Eagles. It now adds another body to the defensive line.