The San Francisco 49ers made a roster move on Monday, claiming defensive tackle Sheldon Day off waivers from the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars waived Day to make room for Dede Westbrook. The 49ers were one of at least four teams to place a claim on Day, joined by the Houston Texans, Detroit Lions, and Arizona Cardinals, according to Ian Rapoport.
The Jaguars decision to release Day meant his pro-rated signing bonus money rolled up onto their salary cap this year and next year as a “post-June 1” cut. They will finish the season with $501,515 in dead money this year between his remaining signing bonus and salary to date.
The 49ers pick up the remaining $190,590 in base salary he is due this year, plus $630,000 and $720,000 in 2018 and 2019. Day was a fourth round pick, so while there is no option, he can earn additional performance bonus money.
Day is primarily a three-technique option, but coming out of college at 6’1, 293 pounds, a major concern was his size. He is not ideally suited for any one position, so the hope is he can play a few different areas. According to Pro Football Focus, he played approximately 70 percent of his time at 3-technique, 25 percent at 5-technique, and a little bit at nose tackle and Leo.
The 49ers have a lot of depth issues along the line, so the more bodies that can play the better. Tank Carradine was expected back from injured reserve, but the team likely will wait until Friday or Saturday to formally activate him. They had a free roster spot, and when Day became available, I can imagine Robert Saleh pounding the table for him after their brief time together in Jacksonville. The 49ers will likely make another roster move for Tank later this week.