The 49ers on Monday announced the signing of linebacker Mychal Kendricks, and got a head start on the mandatory roster cuts coming down Tuesday. Teams are required to have their rosters down to 85 by 1:00pm Pacific Time Tuesday.
In a corresponding move to the Kendricks signing, San Francisco released linebackers James Burgess Jr., Donald Payne and defensive lineman Eddie Vanderdoes.
Burgess joined the club as a free agent this offseason and saw 16 snaps on defense in the preseason opener, and 18 special teams snaps. The emergence of Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, Jonas Griffith and the Kendricks signing made Burgess expendable.
Payne was added as a depth piece when injuries hit the 49ers’ linebacking corps. He played just three defensive snaps against the Chiefs and was likely to be cut once Azeez Al-Shaair and Flannigan-Fowles returned from their injuries. They’re both expected back for the second week of the preseason.
Vanderdoes was added late in camp and played 24 defensive snaps against Kansas City and tallied a sack late in the game. The 49ers are deep on the defensive line though and any player coming in as late as he did wasn’t long for the team.
Kendricks is a player head coach Kyle Shanahan hopes can make an impact and add depth to a thin linebacking corps. He’s a nine-year veteran with 104 games of NFL experience. He has 548 tackles, 19 sacks, four interceptions and 30 pass breakups in his career.
This set of moves puts the 49ers at 88 players. They’ll need to let three more go by Tuesday’s deadline.