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The San Francisco 49ers have signed needed depth for the linebacker spot in the 2022 season — by keeping one defender on board.
Reported by David Lombardi of The Athletic on Friday afternoon, March 11, the 49ers have signed Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles to a one-year extension, which was his exclusive rights free agent (ERFA) tender offer.
“Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles is officially back with the 49ers for 2022. The linebacker signed his ERFA tender, presumably worth $895,000 for the season,” Lombardi tweeted. “Flannigan-Fowles is a homegrown product, safety-turned-LB, who’s become a key special teams contributor.”
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Flannigan-Fowles’ Value & Presence
The 49ers’ decision to lure back Flannigan-Fowles for another season is instrumental with the linebacking unit facing plenty of free agency questions.
Azeez Al-Shaair is listed as a restricted free agent for the upcoming 2022 free agency signing period set to begin on Wednesday, March 16. But there’s growing chatter that outside linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who is set to have a base salary of $2,540,000 for 2022 per Spotrac and will become an unrestricted free agent for 2023, could be trade bait as growing calls for the 49ers to lure in prized 2022 free agent ‘backers Bobby Wagner and Chandler Jones have grown.
Also, depth will be a must for the 49ers’ linebacking unit regardless. The team currently has five linebackers for a unit that runs with three on the field under defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans. The move additionally gives new special teams coordinator Brian Schneider an experienced veteran to work with as the 49ers aim to improve that side of the field.
The 6-foot-2, 223-pounder saw action in all 17 games this past season with the 49ers, starting in two contests. He went on to produce career-bests in total tackles (29), solo stops (13), and assisted stops (16) per Pro Football Reference.
Flannigan-Fowles is a Converted Defender
While Flannigan-Fowles is listed as a linebacker, he’s got a background in defensive back play.
He’s a converted safety turned linebacker as Lombardi mentioned. And, during one preseason game in 2019, Flannigan-Fowles displayed his ball-hawking skills from his DB past:
Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles high points and secures the INT! @Dflann12
📺: #LACvsSF on @NFLNetwork
Watch on mobile: t.co/WVVG7dBS5T
Before his NFL career took off, Flannigan-Fowles was a 6-foot-3, 180-pound safety from Tuscon, Arizona who became a prized local get for the University of Arizona for the 2015 class. He was the state’s No. 19 ranked prospect by 247Sports — a list that featured a future division rival named Christian Kirk of the Arizona Cardinals as the top recruit in the state. Also ranked higher than Flannigan-Fowles was future Los Angeles Rams backup quarterback Bryce Perkins (the state’s No. 16 rated prospect).
Flannigan-Fowles’ signing comes during what has been an active signing period for the 49ers toward the end of the week of March 7. Here’s a rundown from the signings that began on Wednesday:
Jake Brendel: Backup center signed on for one more year (one-year extension) on Wednesday, mentioned in this Heavy on 49ers story.
Colton McKivitz: Signed one-year extension to remain on the 49ers’ offensive line as a reserve tackle.
JaMycal Hasty: Also signed one-year extension to provide running back depth for the 49ers.
Kevin Givens: Resigned to an extension to add needed depth to the defensive trenches.
Maurice Hurst: Also re-added to the defensive line on a one-year extension.
The 49ers also signed backup quarterback Nate Sudfeld to an extension after originally signing a reserves/future contract that became a fully guaranteed deal of up to $3 million per ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter.
49ers gave QB Nate Sudfeld a one-year, fully-guaranteed $2 million deal with upside to get it to $3 million, per source. There were two other teams interested in Sudfeld with, in the words of one source, “all believing he has starter potential in the league.”
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‘Homegrown’ Defender Signs Deal With the 49ers: Report