One of my favorite offseason additions for 2017 was pass rusher Elvis Dumervil. Freshly released by the Baltimore Ravens and getting up there in years, Dumervil was brought in to play a rotational role and I think he filled it well. So I’m a little surprised to see him appearing on a list of NFC cut candidates from Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com.
Dumervil played three years of the five-year, $35 million contract he signed with the Baltimore Ravens in 2013. He definitely slowed down, but was still playing a large percentage of snaps. The Ravens released him, he joined the San Francisco 49ers, and he had a quietly productive season. He worked into a rotation in the pass rush, and by all accounts, he was well-liked in the locker room.
In the article, they list players as “strong candidates for release,” or “on the bubble,” and then there’s a short list at the end with a few afterthoughts. Dumervil is among those afterthoughts (along with 49ers guard Zane Beadles), so it’s unclear why he was included here. I can’t really figure it out.
Dumervil’s two-year contract with the 49ers is worth $8 million. His base salary in 2018 is just $2.75 million, barely up from the $2.25 million he was paid in 2017. His cap hit in 2018 will be $4.25 million, which isn’t a paltry sum by any means, but well within reason for a player like him.
Dumervil played on 341 defensive snaps (30.31 percent of total defensive snaps). He had 6.5 sacks in that time, most of anybody on the team, and I think he more than earned his contract. I don’t expect the 49ers to release him, and am definitely scratching my head at this one.