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The 49ers on Wednesday announced a roster move to help alleviate some off their injury issues at linebacker. Veteran LB Donald Payne signed with the club, and wide receiver Kevin White was released in a corresponding move.
Payne made his NFL entrace as an undrafted rookie in 2017 with the Ravens. The Jaguars claimed him after Baltimore let him go at final roster cuts.
In Jacksonville Payne appeared in 30 games with five starts, and notched 61 tackles and a pass breakup across three seasons. Last year he bounced around to the Washington and Miami practice squads.
With Azeez Al-Shaair working back from a knee sprain and Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles in concussion protocol, the 49ers found themselves thin at linebacker going into their preseason opener. Payne will give them an additional player to take reps in camp and during Saturday’s game vs. the Chiefs.
White, a former first-round pick of the Bears, joined the 49ers last offseason. He spent most of the year on the practice squad, but appeared in three games mostly as a special teams contributor in the middle of the season. He was at the tail end of an already thin receiving corps, and the fact he hadn’t broken through a couple weeks into camp effectively ended his 49ers tenure.