The San Francisco 49ers have added another pass rusher to the fold, signing free agent Elvis Dumervil. General manager John Lynch announced the news on Twitter. The team has not yet announced who will be released to make room for Dumervil.
Dumervil joins the 49ers coming off four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. A foot injury limited him to eight games last season. After 9.5 sacks and 17.0 sacks his first two seasons in Baltimore, Dumervil had 6.0 in 2015 and 3.0 in 2016. He has 99.0 sacks for his career.
It seems likely that Dumervil will compete for the LEO role in the 49ers base defense, and then an end role in the nickel. Arik Armstead and Aaron Lynch were the front-runners for the LEO role. Dumervil’s addition makes for an intriguing competition. When the 49ers go to their nickel, Armstead could kick inside, leaving Lynch competing with Ahmad Brooks, Eli Harold, Tank Carradine, and others for the end roles.