Report: 49ers sign LB Nate Gerry

Per John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia, the San Francisco 49ers have signed linebacker Nate Gerry.

Gerry struggled mightily with Philadelphia this past season. So much so that he was phased out of the rotation after entering the season as the starter. Gerry, a former safety in college, would often find himself on the wrong end of a mismatch. Per Sports Info Solutions, Gerry allowed 14 catches on 17 targets for 170 yards.

If you’re looking for positives, Gerry generated pressure on 37.5% of his pass rushes last season, including one sack and four QB hits. He’d likely serve as a special teamer for the Niners, or maybe even a SAM linebacker on base downs.

Gerry was much better in 2019 with the Eagles. His downfall that season was tackling, as Gerry had a broken tackle percentage of 18.9%. For reference, Dre Greenlaw’s broken tackle percentage was 10.5% this past year, and Fred Warner’s was 7.4%.

I took this as the 49ers staying athletic at the second-level and ensuring they have speed on special teams.