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The San Francisco 49ers are bringing back defensive linemen Ronald Blair III. The 27-year-old Blair agreed to re-sign with the defending NFC champs on a 1-year deal, according to Ian Rapoport at NFL Network. Blair was slated to hit the market when the NFL's free agency period begins on March 18th.
The #49ers are bringing back defensive end Ronald Blair on a 1-year deal, source said. He had three sacks last year.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 17, 2020
As Rapoport points out, Blair recorded three sacks for one of the league's elite defenses in 2019, but his season ended prematurely when suffered a torn ACL in the team's Week 10 matchup vs. division rival Seattle Seahawks. He hit injured reserve on Nov. 13 and was unable to contribute to the 49ers' run to the Super Bowl. In his four NFL seasons, Blair has played in 47 games for San Francisco (two starts), and has recorded 13.5 total sacks.
One week ago, Blair released a video on his Instagram of him running—clearly attempting to show the Niners and the league that his recovery was going strong just four months after the injury.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B9rsGtIpucm/?utm_source=ig_embed
The injury likely impacted Blair's value on the open market, but San Francisco appreciates his value within their defensive line rotation. ESPN 49ers reporter Nick Wagoner noted that the team missed Blair's positional versatility after he went down last season (although they continued to play pretty good defense until the last seven minutes of the Super Bowl).
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#49ers bringing back DL Ronald Blair III is one of those moves that might not make headlines but could turn out to be quite important. Really solid player with positional versatility and was missed greatly after his injury last year. One of Robert Saleh's favorites.
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) March 17, 2020
On Tuesday morning, ESPN.com Cleveland Browns reporter Jake Trotter speculated that Blair could be of interest to the Browns, noting that Cleveland's staff now includes two former 49ers defensive assistants, Joe Woods and Chris Kiffin.
Back to CLE, keep an eye on 49ers free agent DE Ronald Blair, as Browns shift to defense after hitting on their top 3 targets offensively Mon. Blair coming off an ACL tear, but is already running again. Has a connection to Browns coaches Kiffin/Woods, who were with him in SF
— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) March 17, 2020
