On the same day the 49ers officially said goodbye to D.J. Jones, they added another defensive tackle. It would probably be an overstatement to call this securing a replacement, but at the least, it’s depth along the defensive front.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, San Francisco signed Hassan Ridgeway to a deal worth up to $2.5 million, with $1 million fully guaranteed at signing.
It’s not quite the three-year, $30 million deal Jones signed with the Denver Broncos, as he fills the void of the just-departed Shelby Harris, who went to Seattle in the Russell Wilson trade.
Ridgeway is a solid, veteran defensive tackle with three-year stints first in Indianapolis and recently in Philadelphia. He has fared relatively well as a pressure-creating rusher up the middle and has 9.5 sacks and 20 quarterback hits in his career.
The 49ers have already retained Kevin Givens and Maurice Hurst, the latter of whom could be leaned on to fill the void Jones left. Hurst was hurt for most of last season but had an excellent three-year stint with the Raiders. More important than anything, though, is the health of Javon Kinlaw.
Despite his ACL reconstruction — a concerning prospect for anyone, let alone a 6’5″, more than 320-pound man — the front office believes Kinlaw can get healthy this year and believes he can replace some of what they lost with Jones.