49ers To Add DE Matt Judon

This will be a practice squad addition, though Fowler adds there is a chance the Pro Bowl EDGE will be an early elevation for an (again) injury-battered 49ers team. Nick Bosa is not on IR, but the former Defensive Player of the Year’s recent calf injury will sideline him for multiple games. Mykel Williams remains on San Francisco’s reserve/PUP list.

Judon joined Julian Okwara and Dawuane Smoot in meeting with the 49ers in the wake of Bosa’s latest injury. This will be team No. 6 for the former Ravens draftee, who has since played for the Patriots, Falcons, Dolphins and Bills.

The Falcons traded a third-round pick for Judon in 2024 but did not extend or re-sign the accomplished pass rusher. Judon signed with the Dolphins just before last season but received his walking papers last December, leading to a short-term Bills agreement. It does not appear the 49ers are acquiring the prime version of Judon, who went sackless in 14 games last season.

After a strong run in Baltimore and New England, Judon tallied 5.5 sacks during his 2024 Atlanta stopover. The Division II success story (Grand Valley State) also turned 34 last month. This is a patchwork addition following Bosa’s latest injury situation. Williams has not returned to practice yet, though an offseason rule change would allow the 2025 first-rounder to do so before Week 5 this year. Williams is working his way back from an ACL tear sustained in Week 9 last season.

Judon did his best work as a Patriot, combining for 28 sacks from 2021-22. Part of Bill Belichick’s 2021 free agency spree, Judon had expressed an issue with his contract by the 2024 season. The Patriots had placated Judon in 2023, providing a substantial guarantee bump, but ended up trading him to the Falcons rather than adjust his deal further the following year. Judon’s earning power has nosedived since that swap, but he will be set for an 11th NFL season via this 49ers deal.

The 49ers are 3-0, but they have run into extensive injury issues once again. Keion White and recent practice squad signee Ogbonnia Okoronkwo started against the Cardinals. Okoronkwo caught on with the 49ers during training camp but became a P-squad stash soon after. Okoronkwo, 31, tallied a sack against Arizona. White leads the way with two sacks, while third-round rookie D-end Romello Height has one entering Week 4.