The San Francisco 49ers have made a trade!
It’s player-for-player. Zamir White, who was signed after a couple of injuries at running back, is being traded for linebacker Deion Jones.
The Atlanta Falcons drafted Jones a decade ago. He spent his rookie season in Atlanta under offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. Raheem Morris was coaching on the offensive side of the ball for the majority of his tenure when Jones was there. However, there was overlap in 2020, when Morris was the defensive coordinator alongside
the interim coach. That was in 2020. So Shanahan and Morris have both seen Jones during 100+ tackle seasons.
Jones played in both preseason games for the New Orleans Saints. He played 23 and 25 snaps in each game, and also covered punts and kicks. As a veteran with special teams experience, Jones likely spells bad news for one of the linebackers fighting for a roster spot.
That could be Tatum Bethune, Garret Wallow, Jalen Graham, Luke Gifford, or all of the above. It could also be the 49ers adding a body they believe can fill in if there are injuries inside, acknowledging that neither Nick Martin nor Jaden Dugger is ready to play if Fred Warner or Dre Greenlaw suffers an injury.
If you’re on the roster bubble, the last thing you want to do is see your team trade for the position you play.
