The San Francisco 49ers announced that the team has signed free agent linebacker Korey Toomer to a one-year deal. He spent the last two seasons with the Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers and visited with the 49ers on Wednesday.
"We're excited to add a talented player like Korey to our defensive unit," said general manager John Lynch via a statement issued by the team. "Korey is a good fit for the 'stack linebacker' position in our scheme and he provides our team another good football player with plenty of NFL experience in similar systems."
The Seattle Seahawks made Toomer a fifth-round draft pick out of Idaho in 2012. 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh was the Seahawks' defensive quality control coach during Toomer's first two NFL seasons, which were spent in Seattle. The linebacker has appeared in games for the Dallas Cowboys, St. Louis Rams, Oakland Raiders, and Chargers.
Over the past two seasons with the Chargers, Toomer recorded 123 combined tackles, two sacks, five passes defensed, an interception which he returned for a touchdown, and five forced fumbles in 28 games and 16 starts.
Toomer's best season was in 2016 when he registered 75 combined tackles, a sack, two passes defensed, and three forced fumbles in 13 games and eight starts. He was the most efficient run-stopping linebacker in the NFL (among players in on at least 100 run snaps) that year, stopping 14 percent of the 177 run snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.
Toomer adds more depth to a linebacker group that brought back Brock Coyle on a three-year deal. Both Coyle and Malcolm Smith are returning from injuries. Coyle had surgery on a torn labrum following the season and isn't expected back until June or July. Smith was placed on injured reserve last August after suffering a torn pectoral muscle during training camp. He is expected to be ready for the start of the 49ers' offseason program on April 16.
Then there is second-year linebacker Reuben Foster, who has been arrested twice since the end of last season. He will likely see a suspension handed down from the NFL due to his second arrest, which involved suspicion of domestic violence. Foster's offseason troubles have even put his future with the team into question.
"I know Reuben is very cognizant of where his position is right now," 49ers CEO Jed York told The Athletic last month. "His time with the 49ers can potentially be over if he continues to do things outside the team that aren't what we want him to be a part of."
