The 49ers were winners on Tuesday, reportedly agreeing to terms with free-agent-to-be defensive end Ronald Blair.
Blair is coming back to the 49ers on a one-year contract, reports Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network.
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Blair sustained a torn ACL in his right knee in a November loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Blair comes back to the 49ers on a one-year deal with a chance to set himself up for a bigger payday a year from now.
Blair is an important piece to the 49ers’ puzzle on the defensive line. He can play base downs and is a solid rotational player on nickel situations as an edge rusher. His injury last season might have made it a lot easier for the 49ers to bring back Blair on a one-year deal.
Blair posted this video of him working out to his Instagram account on March 13.
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With the NFL restricting travel for free agents, any team that wished to sign Blair would have been unable to bring him in for a thorough medical evaluation until the league loosened their restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh has always made it known how much he likes Blair, a four-year veteran.
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“If you like winning, you like Ronnie,” Saleh said in late-September. “If you don’t, you don’t. He’s just a model of consistency, man. I love Ronnie.”
Blair, 27, registered 5.5 sacks for the 49ers in 2018. He had three sacks in nine games last year before sustaining his season-ending injury.