The 49ers on Wednesday officially announced a trio of expected roster moves. Defensive lineman Damontre Moore was placed on Injured Reserve with a broken forearm, and defensive lineman Jeremiah Valoaga was elevated from the practice squad. Valoaga was replaced on the practice squad by Alex Barrett.
Moore was hurt in Sunday night’s win over the Packers and played through most of the game with a broken arm. He was a preseason star for San Francisco who was re-signed two weeks ago after Ronald Blair III went on IR with a torn ACL. He had five tackles, a quarterback hit and a forced fumble in two games.
Valoaga was also very good for the 49ers in the preseason. He finished with 4.5 sacks – the second highest total in the NFL for the exhibition season. He made his way to the 49ers via the Lions after Detroit signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2017. All nine of his games came in his rookie season. He had 1.0 sacks, five tackles, two tackles for loss and five quarterback hits in those nine games.
The 49ers will likely turn to Valoaga right away when they face the Ravens in Baltimore. A deep defensive line rotation is necessary against their run-heavy offense.
Valoaga’s vacated practice squad spot was filled by defensive lineman Alex Barrett. Barrett was also a Lions undrafted free agent in 2017. He played two games for Detroit in that season. Valoaga and Barrett both spent time under 49ers defensive line coach Kris Kocurek when he held that position for the Lions.
