The former 49ers edge rusher is going back to the team that drafted him.
Former San Francisco 49ers edge rusher Cassius Marsh won’t be traveling far for his new job. In fact, he’ll not only stay in the NFC West, but return to familiar territory. Thursday, it was announced that edge rusher had signed a one-year deal with the Seattle Seahawks.
The fit should be no surprise. The Seahawk defense is the same defense that the 49ers built their own from, so the system should be familiar. Marsh also was drafted by the Seahawks in 2014 and remained there until his trade to the New England Patriots in 2017, so he’s already experienced with how things are done up north.
And so, things come full circle for Marsh as he returns to the team that drafted him. A lot of the jokes seen in the last two days have been about the Seahawks getting the 49ers’ leftovers. Marsh finished 2018 with 5.5 sacks; not the production the 49ers wanted, considering the 49ers released him in year one of his two-year extension. But it wasn’t horrible as the 49ers did exercise his 2019 option before releasing him. That sack total also went down as the best in Marsh’s career.
The 49ers released Marsh as a part of their offseason retooling of the defensive line and are expected to draft an edge rusher with their first pick in the 2019 NFL draft. With the acquisition of Dee Ford, and as well as their incoming rookies, there just wasn’t much room for Marsh.
One has to wonder if Marsh could have thrived if given a third year in Robert Saleh’s system. No one not named DeForest Buckner was efficient in 2019 on the 49ers’ defensive line in the pass rushing department and many look at Marsh as one of the least productive. Do you think he got a raw deal in San Francisco? Do you think his numbers will improve in Seattle?
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