The 49ers added more depth at corner as their 90-man roster tweaks continued Tuesday. They re-added former fourth-round pick Dontae Johnson, and waived linebacker Pita Taumoepenu.
Johnson had a rocky four years in San Francisco, starting six games with one interception in his first three years before becoming a full-time starter in 2017. He showed flashes of potential through his first three seasons, but his year as a full-time starter came with more bad than good. The 49ers let Johnson walk in free agency.
From there he signed with the Seahawks, then spent time with the Bills, Cardinals and Chiefs. His only playing time last year came with Buffalo when he logged 21 snaps in a Week 7 blowout loss to the Colts.
It’ll be a long road to make the roster for Johnson, but a lack of established depth means a strong offseason and training camp would put him in the conversation. His familiarity with the defense should help him as well.
The writing was on the wall for Taumoepenu last year when he couldn’t crack the team’s weak edge rush rotation. He registered just 21 defensive snaps and 41 on special teams across four games last season. He played two games, all on special teams, as a rookie.
There wasn’t going to be a ton of opportunities for the former sixth-round after the 49ers added depth on the edge this offseason. He finished his time in San Francisco with three tackles in six games.
Taumoepenu is the third member of the 2017 draft class, John Lynch’s first with the 49ers, to leave the club, joining Joe Williams and Reuben Foster.
