49ers 2017 departures in review: Defensive line

We’re going to look at each positions departures prior to Week 1 of the 2017 season and see how they fared after leaving the San Francisco 49ers. Some players went on to better careers, while others may be out of the league. We won’t be highlighting every transaction, just some notable ones. Today, we look at the defensive line.

Here’s a list of the more notable departures. Note that with some exceptions, camp bodies, training camp transactions, and roster cuts during the season are not listed for the most part. Note, that the 49ers previous 3-4 scheme had a lot of linebackers coming up to the line in several packages, Ahmad Brooks is a good example. Those linebackers will be discussed in a future post.

Departures:

Zach Moore (DE)
Mike Purcell (DT/NT)
Tony Jerod-Eddie (DE/DT)
Glenn Dorsey (NT)

Glenn Dorsey

When Dorsey signed a two-year deal in San Francisco back in 2013, all expectations were he would be a backup to Ian Williams. Those expectations were quickly dashed by Week 2 when Williams tore his ACL in an away game against the Seattle Seahawks. Dorsey produced solid results for a nose tackle; 28 tackles and two sacks. It was enough to keep him in the starter conversation the following year, but he suffered a torn bicep in practice and was out for all of 2014. In late 2015, Dorsey suffered another injury, this time an ACL. He was an unrestricted free agent in 2017, and also 32. The 49ers choose not to sign him for training camp. He’s since—you guessed it—been out of the league.

Tony Jerod-Eddie

Tony Jerod-Eddie’s career highlights with the 49ers can be summed up in one gif:

Yep, that’s a defensive tackle picking off Matt Schaub. Beyond that, Jerod-Eddie has played in several games, but started for only a fraction of them. He’s recorded no sacks in his time with the 49ers and recorded very few tackles for a defensive end. Jerod-Eddie was not re-signed in the 2017 offseason and has—yep—not gone anywhere.

Mike Purcell

Purcell recovered a fumble for a touchdown in a preseason game. That was pretty much the extent of his career. He was called up to the active roster in 2014 after Ray McDonald was released as a result of a domestic violence allegation. He started in only 5 games for 2016. Forcing a fumble and totaling 17 tackles. Following the conclusion of the season, Purcell bounced around the league until being signed by to the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad in late 2017. He still remains with the Chiefs as of this writing.

Any defensive linemen you’d like back for 2017?