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Two days after Darius Fleming suffered what was described as a serious knee injury, the beat writers are now tweeting that it was a tear of the ACL he tore last season, and Fleming will be waived/injured. Once Fleming clears, the 49ers can either place him on injured reserve, or agree to an injury settlement. Either way, his season is finished before it even started.
Matt Maiocco was also quick to tweet that the 49ers will sign former San Jose State linebacker Travis Johnson to fill the open spot on the 90-man roster. Per Cam Inman, Johnson seemed to confirm his signing on his Facebook page.
Fooch's Note: The 49ers have now confirmed the move
The folks at NFL.com have a pretty extensive scouting report for the undrafted rookie. They compare him to one-time 49ers linebacker Travis LaBoy, and he is described as a guy who could operate as a 3-4 rush linebacker.
Johnson is the WAC's all-time leader in sacks, but his primary weakness is size. He stands 6'1, 240 pounds, and could struggle in dealing with the ridiculous nature of NFL size. He's not a fast guy, but the report views him as a guy with some moves with a "high motor". He is facing a tough numbers game as the 49ers have a lot of possibilities at outside linebacker. With Parys Haralson, Corey Lemonier and Cam Johnson already on the roster, Johnson's best option might be on the practice squad.
As for Fleming, it's a real shame to see him miss another season with an ACL tear. We see all the high profile players in the NFL, but part of the reason the average career is relatively short is because of circumstances like this. We'll see how Fleming bounces back from this. Best of luck to him, no matter how his NFL career turns out.