49ers Sign DE Cameron Sample

A 2021 fourth-round pick out of Tulane, Sample saw a consistent defensive role during his time with the Bengals. He missed only four games through his first three seasons in Cincinnati, where he got into more than one third of his team’s defensive snaps while compiling five total sacks and 20 total QB hits.

His 2024 campaign was completely wiped out by a torn Achilles tendon. He re-signed with the Bengals last offseason and managed to make 14 appearances in his comeback season, tallying 17 tackles, a pair of sacks, and one forced fumble. However, he got into a career-low 26 percent of his team’s defensive snaps, and had he earned enough reps to qualify, he would have ranked in the bottom-20 of Pro Football Focus’ ranking of the league’s edge defenders.

The 49ers needed some extra DE depth last season, as both Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams were lost with torn ACLs. That duo should be back in the lineup at some point early in the 2026 campaign, but Sample will be among the grouping to soak up any leftover snaps. At the moment, the free agent addition will be competing with the likes of Sam Okuayinonu (who led the position grouping in snaps in 2025), Keion White, William Bradley-King, and Andrew Farmer.