Getty Clelin Ferrell sacks Aidan O'Connell on Sunday, August 13 in a 2023 preseason game.
Wearing the San Francisco 49ers uniform wasn’t the only thing that was different for Clelin Ferrell in his return to his former home venue on Sunday, August 13.
The former Las Vegas Raiders edge rusher — once given a $31 million deal after going in the top five of the same draft class that featured Nick Bosa and is now his teammate — was attacking the silver and black this time. And immediately after the 34-7 preseason loss to the Raiders, he got one renowned NFL analyst believing Ferrell is already a much different player than before.
‘Looks Like a Different Player Already’
It’s not just any national analyst who gave the $2.5 million addition Ferrell praise, it’s former offensive lineman turned prominent NFL Network personality Brian Baldinger who’s taken notice of a more rejuvenated Ferrell.
“The latest reclamation project for coach [Kris} Kocurek in San Francisco is Clelin Ferrell,” Baldinger said.
From there, the master of play and scheme breakdowns dove into why Ferrell is coming off as a changed defender.
“He just looks different. Now look, you can’t get beat inside if you’re an offensive tackle. But I didn’t see that with the Raiders — that quickness right there,” Baldinger said in scrutinizing this particular play from the game.
.@49ers @Cle_Missile looks like a different player already. Been a whole lineup of reclamation players for this ORG. #BaldysBreakdowns
Ferrell, one of the key free agent signings from March 2023, is seeking to reignite a career that’s seen injuries and inconsistency. But now, he’s got “Baldy” convinced that he’s due for a long-awaited breakout campaign.
“You gotta keep your eyes on Clelin Ferrell this year,” Baldinger said. “We have seen it year in and year out — guys who don’t pan out at other places coming to San Francisco and they start hitting balls out the park.”
Ferrell Sent Out Warning Before Putting Together Strong Performance
While much of the ballyhooed hype centered on Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo reuniting on the same field with the team he played for from 2017 to 2022, Ferrell was one other having a reunion — but on the opposite end.
Ferrell shared his thoughts on returning to Vegas with Jennifer Lee Chen of NBC Sports Bay Area on August 11 just two days before the reunion.
“I don’t look at it as a one-time redefining moment, but it’s definitely a welcome home type feeling,” Ferrell told Chen. “Not even because of the Raiders but at the start of my career I made Vegas my home for the west coast and it still is. I still live here in the offseason.”
However, he fired off an early warning ahead of the preseason matchup.
“But it is different now because I’m coming here for a purpose — to whoop up on a team. It’s fun. I like it,” Ferrell said.
As far as if he got his revenge, Ferrell ended with the final tally: Two tackles, both solo stops, one stop behind the line of scrimmage and snatching the lone sack of the day on the 49ers’ side. On the other side, Ferrell’s old team put together four sacks of Trey Lance, who handled the quarterback reins for an entire half.
But if there was a positive from the 27-point loss that has Niner fans convinced, it’s the newest 49er “Baldy” is raving about.