The San Francisco 49ers on Friday officially signed defensive lineman Khalid Kareem to a one-year contract and placed defensive lineman Sam Okuayinonu on injured reserve in a corresponding move.
Okuayinonu suffered a foot injury in the 49ers' final practice before boarding their flight to Australia for their regular season opener. The injury was severe enough to land him on IR. He will be eligible to return if the severity of his injury allows.
Kareem, 28, is a logical addition for the 49ers because of his familiarity with defensive coordinator Raheem Morris. Morris was the Atlanta Falcons head coach while Kareem was there in 2024 and 2025. The Cincinnati Bengals selected Kareem with the 147th overall pick in the 2020 draft. Since then he's spent
time with the Bengals, Indianapolis Colts, Chicago Bears and Falcons.
In 559 career snaps Kareem has 26 pressures and one sack which came in his rookie season. The 49ers needed a player who could step in on short notice and a player with two years of experience in Morris' defense was the choice.
For the 49ers defensive front losing Okuayinonu is a tough blow. He is a versatile rotational piece for them who could be on the field as a pass rusher or run defender. With Nick Bosa and rookie Romello Height already nursing injuries the 49ers could be going into their season opener dangerously thin on the edges of their defensive line.
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers officially sign veteran DE, place another DE on IR
