Getty Buster Skrine, who spent last season with Chicago, signed with San Francisco on Tuesday, September 28.
The San Francisco 49ers have signed veteran cornerback Buster Skrine to the active roster, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported on Tuesday, September 28.
Skrine, a slot corner, spent his last two seasons playing for the Chicago Bears. He played in 12 games in 2020, three of those as a starter. He had three passes defended and forced one fumble.
A fifth-round pick in 2011 out of the University of Tennessee Chattanooga, Skrine has played in 151 games over his professional career with 92 starts for the Browns, Jets, and Bears. He has nine interceptions and 85 career pass breakups since entering the league.
The 32-year-old is listed as 5-foot-9, 185 pounds. He was a free agent after the Bears released him on March 17 with one year remaining on a three-year, $16.6 million contract Skrine signed with the team in March 2019.
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Josh Norman Back With Team, ‘Possible’ to Play
GettyJosh Norman (right) was back with the team after spending Sunday night, September 26 in the hospital with bruised lungs.
The signing comes two days after the 49ers lost CB Josh Norman in the first half of the team’s 30-28 loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 3.
Norman suffered bruised lungs when he was breaking up a pass near the end zone pylon on a third-and-4 play and collided with another player, whose helmet struck Norman in the chest area. San Francisco’s secondary was already thin due to injuries, which is why the team was one of three organizations still pursuing talented but embattled free agent CB Richard Sherman.
Norman spent Sunday night in the hospital with bruised lungs after the former Pro Bowler spat up blood on the sideline, but he was released the following day and back with his team.
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters at a press conference on Monday, September 27 that Norman was listed as day-to-day, and it was possible the cornerback would play this weekend when the team hosts the Seattle Seahawks. The Week 4 matchup in Santa Clara, California will be both NFC West rivals’ first divisional game.
“He had some fluid in his lungs and I think that was the scare,” Shanahan told reporters about Norman. “And so, he had to go to the hospital, he’s back. He was in our meetings this morning. The way that goes, it’s not like concussion protocol, but he’s gotta clear some imaging. He has got to pass a CT scan to get back to practice. And from what I’m told, that can take anywhere from one day to throughout the week. So, we’re just going to have to keep monitoring that each day as the week goes.”
Besides Norman’s injury, cornerback K’Waun Williams is expected to miss some time with a calf strain he also suffered in the loss to Green Bay, Shanahan said on Monday. Cornerbacks Jason Verrett and Davontae Harris are already on injured reserve.
Sherman Visiting Tampa Bay: Report
GettyFree agent cornerback Richard Sherman.
Sherman is visiting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Tuesday, September 28, Pelissero reported. The Bucs are hopeful of getting a deal done before the team heads to New England for its Week 4 matchup.
The Super Bowl champions have been one of three teams, along with the 49ers and Seahawks, who have expressed interest in the former All-Pro who is facing legal issues.
“Multiple contenders have been aggressive in their pursuit of Richard Sherman over the past couple of weeks. But it’s the Super Bowl champs who get him in the building first later today to try to get a deal done,” Pelissero tweeted.
The New Orleans Saints also expressed interest in Sherman during the offseason, per ESPN’s Mike Triplett, but Seattle, Tampa Bay and San Francisco were the only ones in contention for him after the season began.
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