49ers sign Daelin Hayes; place Darryl Johnson on IR

Aaron Wilson reported that the 49ers signed Daelin Hayes and placed Darryl Johnson on the injured reserve. Johnson, an edge rusher, will not return this season. Johnson had batted a couple of passes during camp, so he made the most of his reps.

Both transactions became official Saturday according to the NFL’s transaction wire.

Hayes was drafted in the fifth round of the 2021 draft out of Notre Dame by the Baltimore Ravens. He played 65 defensive snaps as a rookie, with the majority of those coming as a stand-up outside linebacker. That was the case in 2022 with Baltimore, but only 56 snaps on the defensive side of the ball.

Hayes is likely a camp body to help take the pressure off the starters and backups, so they don’t play too many snaps, whether in practice or during the preseason. Reading over reports from Baltimore’s beat reporters on Hayes, he was a player who looked great in shorts during the summer, but never put it together when the pads came on.

Hayes left a game in 2021 with a knee injury and was listed on the injury report for four separate games with the same knee designation.