The San Francisco 49ers agreed to terms with pass rusher Elvis Dumervil earlier this week. The team has not formally announced the transaction, which means the paperwork is being finalized. Dumervil told Matt Maiocco he will be on hand for minicamp next week, so my guess is the transaction will be announced then.
Dumervil chatted with Maiocco recently, and talked about a conversation he had with defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. Dumveril said that he is versatile enough to play in any scheme, but he really likes that Saleh is looking to make things simplified on defense. We’ve heard from Saleh, GM John Lynch, and players about how the defense allows them to attack more aggressively. Rather than reading and reacting, the players will get to play downhill a bit more. Dumervil likes to keep things simple.
“For me, it’s just a matter of hitting the quarterback. That’s what I envision.”
Another interesting aspect of the conversation was Dumervil discussing his recent Achilles injury. After a career-high 17.0 sacks in 2014, Dumervil suffered an Achilles injury that impacted him the entire 2015 season. He had six sacks that season, and then had surgery in February 2016. he played eight games, with three starts in 2016, and finished with three sacks.
Dumveril told Maiocco he was playing injured with the injury, but is feeling considerably better. He said that he thinks he has multiple years of football left. He said if he thought he only had a year left to win a Super Bowl, he might have considered other options. The 49ers are not on the verge of contending, but could take a big step forward on defense this season. Dumervil could be a key part of that, even if in “just” a situational pass rusher role.