Evan Anderson, Alex Barrett, Brayden Willis, and Jalen Graham finalized their ERFA deals with the 49ers.
The San Francisco 49ers announced earlier this week that edge rusher Alex Barrett, defensive lineman Evan Anderson, tight end Brayden Willis, and linebacker Jalen Graham officially signed their exclusive rights contract tenders. The move was simply a formality since since exclusive rights free agents are unable to negotiate with other teams once tendered.
Anderson saw the most playing time last season among this group. The rookie undrafted free agent out of Florida Atlantic appeared in 12 games (one start) and recorded 24 tackles, two tackles for loss, two quarterback hits, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and one sack.
In contrast to the 23-year old Anderson, Barrett is a 31-year old veteran who has spent the past several seasons bouncing between the 49ers roster and practice squad. He only appeared in three games last season, making two tackles. Nevertheless, with the 49ers thin depth along the defensive line, returning players toward the back of the depth chart will seemingly have an opportunity to find a bigger role this coming season.
Graham and Willis were both drafted by the 49ers in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft. They each appeared in a few games as rookies but were released prior to last season. Willis immediately joined the 49ers practice squad, appearing in 10 games almost entirely on special teams (he made three tackles). Graham, on the other hand, joined the Commanders practice squad before he was released and returned to San Francisco. He appeared in eight games, also almost entirely on special teams (eight tackles).