The 49ers made a big change to their 90-man roster Tuesday. Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reported the team was set to release veteran linebacker Malcolm Smith. Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area confirmed the report.
The 49ers signed Smith prior to the 2017 season to a five-year deal worth $26.5 million deal with $11.5 million guaranteed. He didn’t play at all his first year because of a pectoral injury, then he played in 12 games with five starts last year while hampered by an Achilles injury.
Smith, 30, was in competition for the starting Sam linebacker job, but the play of rookie fifth-round pick Dre Greenlaw, and the return of free agent signee Kwon Alexander made Smith expendable.
