The 49ers have signed pass-rusher Elvis Dumervil, a five-time Pro Bowl selection who ranks seventh among active players with 99 career sacks.
Dumervil, 33, becomes the top candidate to occupy the 49ers’ “Leo” defensive end position, which is reserved for the team’s best pass-rusher. Dumervil has had two 17-sack seasons, the last coming in 2014 when he was 30.
The 49ers have the fifth-fewest sacks in the NFL over the past two seasons and linebacker Ahmad Brooks (53.5 career sacks) is their only player with more than 14 career sacks.
“Just added another stud to harass QBs,” said general manager John Lynch on Twitter, where he announced the signing of his former teammate with the Broncos from 2005-06.
Dumervil, who was released by the Ravens in March, has just nine sacks the past two seasons. Last year, he had three sacks and missed eight games after coming off surgery to repair a torn Achilles. He was scheduled to count $8.375 million against the salary cap.
The 49ers didn’t sign a player with more than nine career sacks in free agency, and they didn’t draft a legitimate Leo candidate until the sixth round when they selected Utah’s Pita Taumoepenu.
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