49ers add ex-Dolphins LB on 1-year contract

The San Francisco 49ers added another body to their defensive front during training camp. San Francisco is signing free-agent linebacker Quinton Bell to a one-year contract, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Bell worked out for the team on Tuesday alongside three other defenders, defensive ends K.J. Henry and Titus Leo, and linebacker Victor Dimukeje, with the 49ers also agreeing to terms with Henry the same day.

Bell, a seventh-round pick by the then-Oakland Raiders in the 2019 draft out of Prairie View A&M, has bounced around the league throughout his career.

After time on Oakland’s practice squad, he joined Tampa Bay in 2020 and won a Super Bowl ring, appearing in five games. The 30-year-old then spent two seasons with Atlanta before brief stops with the Philadelphia Eagles’ practice squad and, eventually, the Miami Dolphins in 2023, where he settled in for three seasons.

Bell served as a versatile piece of Miami’s defense last year, appearing in seven games and recording eight tackles and a fumble recovery. Per Next Gen Stats, the Dolphins used him primarily as an edge rusher, lining him up there for 103 of his 109 defensive snaps, while occasionally testing him in the slot, at linebacker, and even at cornerback and defensive tackle.

He also ran a sub-4.5 40-yard dash coming out of college, giving him a rare blend of size and athleticism at 6-foot-4 and 253 pounds.

That kind of positional flexibility could appeal to 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh’s scheme, which often uses hybrid edge pieces to round out five-man fronts. San Francisco’s linebacker room remains anchored by Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw, but the team has continued adding depth throughout camp as it works through the preseason.

For Bell, now a seven-year veteran, the deal offers another chance to carve out a role after a career defined more by his ability to bounce between teams and positions than by consistent, high-volume production. Whether he can turn this latest opportunity into a lasting roster spot will play out over the next several weeks of camp and preseason games.