49ers sign DE Kerry Hyder to a one-year deal worth $1.5 million

The 49ers are bringing back a familiar face as ESPN’s Field Yates reported Thursday morning that San Francisco is signing edge rusher Kerry Hyder to a one-year deal worth $1.5 million.

Hyder gets $750,000 in guaranteed money and $750,000 in sack incentives. Hyder is no lock to make the roster based on that guaranteed money. Hyder, who turns 31 in May, had a disappointing season with the Seahawks last season as he finished with 1.5 sacks and only five tackles for loss. In 2020 with the Niners, Hyder had 11 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks, which was a career year for him.

The 49ers hope they’re getting the 2020 version of Hyder, who filled up the stat sheet, but I came away thinking they were better without him in 2021. While that may not be fair to Hyder, considering the difference in talent between both defensive lines in each year, San Francisco got more athletic without Hyder and prevented teams from getting outside of them as a result.

In Week 17 of 2020, the 49ers rolled out Hyder, Darrion Daniels, Alex Barrett, and Kentavius Street as a part of their defensive line rotation. Needless to say, Hyder was the team’s top option for most of the season.

That won’t be the case in 2022, which is why it’s easy to be optimistic Hyder will be a better, more productive, and efficient player with the Niners this time around.

The 49ers now have Nick Bosa, Samson Ebukam, Charles Omenihu, and Jordan Willis on the edge to go with Hyder and the ghost of Dee Ford. We’ll see if the team is done adding edge rushers via free agency or the draft, but their commitment to Hyder based on his contract doesn’t seem like that’s the case.