Having had an injury scare on the defensive line early in training camp when Romello Height was carted off with cramps, the 49ers have made a move to boost their pass rush options off the edge.
Per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the 49ers are signing defensive end KJ Henry after he had a workout at the team’s facility.
Henry, a fifth-round pick of the Commanders in 2023, was most recently with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the spring having bounced around the league over his first three seasons in the league.
Having tallied 13.5 sacks and 28.5 tackles for loss over a five-season career with Clemson that saw him display intriguing the lateral quickness to win to the tackle’s inside shoulder and the flexibility to bend around the edge, Henry has struggled to make those skills translate to the next level.
He had 1.5 sacks in his first and only season with the Commanders and has never topped that number across spells with the Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys and Cleveland Browns.
The 49ers have previously shown interest in Henry, having had a Zoom interview with him prior to the 2023 draft.
Henry’s signing means the Niners now have 10 defensive ends on the roster and he likely faces an uphill battle to make the team, with Nick Bosa, Mykel Williams, Height, Keion White all locks for the 53 and Sam Okuayinonu a strong bet to join them.
But there is value in making low-risk bets on players experienced players that have previously displayed enticing physical gifts. If Henry shows enough across camp and preseason to land on the practice squad, this could prove to be an astute July move by San Francisco.
