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Late last night, after I had gone to bed out here on the east coast, the San Francisco 49ers added their second free agent signing of the offseason. The 49ers announced the signing of linebacker Dan Skuta to a two year contract. Although Skuta is listed as a linebacker, he will likely focus on special teams play. General manager Trent Baalke issued a statement on the signing, and even he pointed to Skuta's special teams play first.
"We are pleased to be adding Dan to our roster," said 49ers General Manager Trent Baalke. "He is an established special teams player and versatile linebacker who fits our system very well."
In our initial post on Skuta's visit, I spoke with Josh Kirkendall about the linebacker. On Skuta, he said:
Primarily a special teams guy. Strong against the run, but struggles in coverage and not a very good pass rusher on defense. Very versatile; played all LB positions, as well as a blocking back on offense. Otherwise a solid guy overall and nice piece to have on the depth chart.
It's possible Skuta sees some playing time behind Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman, but expect him to spend most of his time working with the coverage units.
The 49ers will introduce Skuta via conference call later this morning. In the meantime, here is their press release regarding the signing:
The San Francisco 49ers today announced they have signed LB Dan Skuta to a two-year contract.
Skuta (6-2, 250) originally signed with the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent on April 30, 2009. He was signed to the Bengals practice squad following training camp before being signed to the team's active roster on October 8, 2009.
In his four-year career, Skuta has played in 56 games (four starts) and has tallied 56 special teams tackles and one forced fumble. On defense, he has added 48 tackles, one force fumble, 0.5 sack and one pass defensed. In 2012, Skuta led the Bengals with 17 special teams tackles.
A 26-year-old native of Flint, MI, Skuta attended Grand Valley State where he helped lead his teams to a four-year record of 51-2 and two national titles. As a senior, he earned First-Team All-America NCAA Division II honors.