Ronald Blair expected to re-sign with the 49ers

NBC Sports’ Jennifer Lee Chan broke the news that the San Francisco 49ers are expected to re-sign edge rusher Ronald Blair, pending a physical.

Blair missed all of 2020 after suffering a setback in his ACL recovery after going down in the ninth game of the 2019 season. Blair has been a favorite of the coaching staff. I’d assume he’d sign for a one-year deal worth the veteran minimum.

With Blair, the 49ers have the following edge rushers on their depth chart: Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead, Dee Ford, Jordan Willis, Kentavius Street, and a couple of other practice squad players.

There is a lot of veteran depth on the defensive line with the addition of Blair. Now, it’s time to add a young pass rusher who could learn from the roster’s experienced pass rushers. There are still injury questions as Bosa is returning from an ACL injury, while Ford and Blair haven’t played live football in a year.

When he did play in 2018 and ‘19, Blair was an efficient pass rusher who came up with timely sacks. He has 8.5 sacks over those two seasons with 14 QB hits. A healthy Blair allows Armstead to kick inside and could help Bosa ease into recovery. That’s putting a lot on Blair’s plate, though.