So much for waiting to place Malcolm Smith on injured reserve! The San Francisco 49ers announced Monday morning that they have placed Smith on IR and signed linebacker Austin Calitro to take his place on the 90-man roster.
Calitro is a rookie who spent ten days with the New York Jets in May. During his time at Villanova (2012-16), he appeared in 48 games and registered 220 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, eight passes defensed, three forced fumbles and two interceptions. As a senior in 2016, Calitro tied the team lead with 86 tackles and also registered 12 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks, earning First-Team All-CAA honors.
I had suggested maybe the 49ers would wait until early September to place Smith on IR in case they thought there was a slim chance he would return. This slams the door shut on that, which makes sense with a torn pectoral muscle. Smith was due $250,000 in roster bonuses this season, but will not earn those due to his injury.