There will be no reunion between the 49ers and free agent defensive end Ronald Blair. He’s instead reuniting with former 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and signing with the New York Jetssigning with the New York Jets according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Blair didn’t play at all in 2020 because of complications with surgery on the ACL he tore during Week 10 of the 2019 campaign.
San Francisco selected Blair in Round 5 of the 2016 draft, one year before Saleh and head coach Kyle Shanahan arrived in the Bay Area. Still, he was a favorite among the coaching staff and carved out a nice role as a rotational defensive lineman. Blair in 47 games with the 49ers racked up 13.5 sacks. 10 of those came in 31 games with Saleh orchestrating the defense.
Saleh in 2019 said of Blair, “If you like winning, you like Ronnie Blair.If you like winning, you like Ronnie Blair.”
Blair was an integral part of the 49ers’ strong defensive line in 2019, but he tore his ACL in Week 10 against the Seahawks while pulling quarterback Russell Wilson down for a sack. He never suited up again for San Francisco.
There was a report earlier this offseason that the 49ers were set to re-sign Blair49ers were set to re-sign Blair, after he took a physical, to help bolster a thin defensive end group. There’s no indication as to how the physical went, but he never did put pen to paper with his former club. Now he’ll try and return to the field in New York.