The San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints made a trade late in the preseason that wound up being exactly what it looked like.
San Francisco is releasing linebacker Deion Jones according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The 49ers acquired Jones from the Saints in exchange for running back Zamir White, who is being released by the Saints.
There was some speculation that the swap might mean White was on track to land a roster spot with the Saints given some of their backfield depth issues. With White he had familiarity with 49ers defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, giving rise to speculation that he could be in line for some sort of role in a banged up 49ers LB corps.
Both players played in the teams' preseason finales, but that was the end of the road.
It turns out the swap was just two teams trading players to fill roles for their respective preseason finales. The Saints needed a running back to chew up some preseason carries, while the 49ers needed some extra LB depth to get them through 60 more preseason minutes.
Jones could be back in San Francisco via the practice squad depending on how the rest of their roster shakes out. He's past his prime, but he knows Morris' defense and played special teams last year in Tampa Bay. The 49ers may want him as an in-house depth option. Since Jones is an unrestricted free agent following his release he'll have the opportunity to pick his next situation.
In his lone game with the 49ers against the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday, Jones played 15 snaps and tallied two tackles with a pass breakup.
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers to release LB they just acquired in trade with Saints
