The San Francisco 49ers made three roster moves on Monday. The team signed defensive lineman Leger Douzable and offensive lineman Andrew Gardner. They had an open roster spot, and they waived/injured rookie safety Chanceller James to open up a second spot.
James suffered a knee injury in the preseason opener. If he is not claimed off waivers, he will revert to injured reserve. It’s a disappointing loss because he had done some solid work through the first two weeks of training camp. He was a bubble candidate for the 53-man roster, and potentially would have been claimed if waived at final roster cuts. If nobody claims him, the 49ers retain him for the season.
The Douzable signing is likely a camp body while DeForest Buckner is out with an ankle injury. Gardner offers some depth following the release of Richard Levy. Here is what the 49ers PR department had on each of the two signings.
Douzable (6-4, 284) originally entered the NFL after signing with the Minnesota Vikings practice squad as an undrafted free agent on September 3, 2008. He spent the 2008 season on the practice squad of both the Vikings and New York Giants. Over the past eight years (2009-16), he has spent time with the St. Louis Rams (2009), Jacksonville Jaguars (2010-11), Tennessee Titans (2012), New York Jets (2013-15) and Buffalo Bills (2016). Douzable has appeared in 107 games (14 starts) and registered 159 tackles, 6.5 sacks, two passes defensed and one fumble recovery. Last season in Buffalo, he appeared in all 16 games (five starts) and finished with 43 tackles, 1.5 sacks and one pass defensed.
A 31-year-old native of Tampa, FL, Douzable attended the University of Central Florida where he appeared in 49 games (24 starts). As a senior in 2007, he earned First-Team All-Conference USA honors after starting all 14 games and leading the team with 7.5 sacks.
Gardner (6-6, 308) rejoins the 49ers after signing with the team on December 21, 2016. He started at left guard in the team’s final game of the 2016 regular season. He has appeared in 28 games (12 starts) with the Miami Dolphins (2009-10), Baltimore Ravens (2010), Minnesota Vikings (2010), Cincinnati Bengals (2010-11), Houston Texans (2011-13), Philadelphia Eagles (2014-15) and 49ers.
A 31-year-old native of Tyrone, GA, Gardner attended Georgia Tech where he started in each of his 48 appearances for the Yellow Jackets (2005-08) and earned First-Team All-ACC honors as a junior and senior.