Before SB LVIII, the 49ers promote two defensive linemen.
The San Francisco 49ers declared that the following players (standard altitudes) from the team’s practice squad have been elevated to the active roster:
The 49ers of San Francisco Sign Four Free Agents
The San Francisco 49ers announced today that they have signed the four free agents listed below:
DL Alex Barrett
DL Austin Bryant
OL Corey Luciano
DL T.Y. McGill
49ers Sign DL Earnest Brown IV and DL Raymond Johnson III
The San Francisco 49ers announced they have signed the following two free agents to one-year deals:
DL Earnest Brown IV
DL Raymond Johnson III
The Los Angeles Rams selected Brown IV (6-5, 270) in the fifth round (174th overall) of the 2021 NFL Draft. On August 31, 2021, he signed with the team’s practice squad after being released by the Rams.
Brown has played in 12 games (three starts) and had 14 tackles in his three years with the Rams (2021–2023). Brown made seven appearances and tallied five tackles in 2023.
The 25-year-old Aubrey, Texas native played at Northwestern University from 2017 to 20. In 39 games, he recorded 66 tackles, 7.0 sacks, nine passes defensed, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery at the school.
Johnson III (6-3, 264) originally entered the NFL after signing with the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent on May 13, 2021.
On May 18, 2022, the Giants released him, and on August 31, 2022, he joined the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad. After being cut loose by the Bengals on August 29, 2023, he signed on as a practice squad member with the Detroit Lions on August 31, 2023, then was cut loose again on January 23, 2024.
Johnson has played in 15 games across his three-year career with the Giants (2021–22), Bengals (2022–23), and Lions (2023–24), recording four tackles and one sack.
Columbia, South Carolina native Johnson, 26, played football for Georgia Southern University from 2017 to 21. In 49 games, he recorded 148 tackles, 16.5 sacks, five passes defensed, two forced fumbles, and six fumble recoveries.
