The Jets have signed former 49ers defensive end Ronald Blair, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
A Robert Saleh favorite, Blair spent the 2020 season on injured reserve. He had spent the four seasons prior to that with the 49ers after being drafted in the fifth round of the 2016 draft.
The 6-foot-4, 270-pound Blair is another quality backup pass rusher for the Jets’ front seven with experience getting to the quarterback. He tallied 13.5 sacks and 27 quarterback hits before tearing his ACL midway through the 2019 season.
Blair joins a defensive line group full of talented players, including Carl Lawson, John Franklin-Myers, Bryce Huff and Vinny Curry on the ends. There’s also Quinnen Williams, Foley Fatukasi and Sheldon Rankins in the interior.
It will be interesting to see how Jeff Ulbrich utilizes this bevy of defensive linemen throughout the season. It’s the deepest collection of players the Jets have had at the position in a long time.
Blair has never played more than 534 snaps in any season in which he played a full 16 games, so he shouldn’t be more than a rotational piece. He does add another level of support for the defense, though, which will be critical to the Jets’ success in 2021.
