The 49ers on Monday attempted to bolster their struggling pass rush by swapping a pair of reserve defensive linemen. San Francisco announced the release of defensive lineman Jeremiah Valoaga, who was replaced on the active roster by defensive lineman Anthony Zettel.
Valoaga had two tackles and played 44 defensive snaps in four games after being activated off the practice squad following a season-ending injury to Damontre Moore. He was a preseason star for the 49ers with 4.5 sacks. His productivity in the regular season was minimal though for a unit that badly needs depth.
The 49ers are hoping Zettel provides a little more production. He has just 7.5 sacks in four NFL seasons after being drafted in the sixth round of the 2016 draft by the Detroit Lions. 49ers defensive line coach Kris Kocurek held the same position in Detroit for the first two seasons of Zettel’s career.
Zettel’s second season was his best, when he posted 6.5 sacks in 16 starts for Detroit. He spent 2018 in Cleveland where he put up 14 tackles and three tackles for loss in 15 games. Cincinnati signed him for four games this year before cutting him in December.
The 49ers won’t need Zettel to star for them. They do need him to be more effective than Valoaga was though and give some more productive snaps late in games to help limit the snaps of San Francisco’s top linemen.
