49ers sign DB Daxton Swanson

The San Francisco 49ers have signed defensive back Daxton Swanson to the practice squad. The move is now official, but it comes several days after Swanson was on Twitter thanking and retweeted numerous people congratulating him on the signing.

Swanson is a defensive back who went undrafted out of Sam Houston State this past April. He was signed by the Indianapolis Colts shortly after the draft, but was waived/injured during final roster cuts. I can't find information on the injury. He reverted to injured reserve, but then the Colts waived him from injured reserve on October 29.

I don't really know what any of that means about his health, but I must assume the 49ers think he is healthy at this point. I don't recall seeing a player placed on IR, and then subsequently waived from IR the same season.

Whatever the case, Swanson is a guy with some versatility. He was a two-year starter at safety, but also came out of high school playing cornerback. He stands 5'10 186 pounds, and ran a 4.56 40. The folks at Stampede Blue had a solid "Get to know an undrafted free agent" piece on him over the summer. It has a couple scouting reports that are worth a read.

Based on those reports, his size is a concern, as is his ability to backpedal against receivers. That might make him a bit more useful at safety, where while backpedaling is necessary, it's not quite an issue of having to stick with the guy right off the line.

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