SANTA CLARA, Calif. _ Defensive lineman Anthony Zettel, a fourth-year journeyman, signed Monday with the 49ers ahead of Sunday night's high-stakes visit to Seattle.
To make room, the 49ers waived Jeremiah Valoaga, who had a pass breakup in 19 snaps Saturday night in his most extensive action since getting summoned off the practice squad last month.
Zettel was cut by the Cincinnati Bengals on Dec. 17 after appearing in four games. He had 6 { sacks in 2017 with the Detroit Lions, a year after they drafted him in the sixth round out of Penn State. He played last season with the Cleveland Browns.
The 49ers' defensive-line depth has been hit hard by injuries in the past two months, and pass rusher Dee Ford is not expected to return from a hamstring strain until the playoffs. Season-ending injuries to Ronald Blair and Damontre Moore prompted the 49ers to call up Valoaga.
In Saturday night's win over the Los Angeles Rams, the 49ers slightly trimmed the workload of their line's three mainstays, as Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner each played 51 of 70 snaps. That meant more action for Valoanga, Solomon Thomas, Sheldon Day and Kentavius Street.
"It's always tough to get those guys off the field because of how good of players they are, but we haven't done that well enough the last two weeks so we wanted to do better (Saturday night," coach Kyle Shanahan said Sunday. "We did, and I think it paid off. We survived those downs and the guys stayed fresher."
Last week, the 49ers attempted to claim veteran defensive end Terrell Suggs off waivers, but he went to the Kansas City Chiefs.
