The San Francisco 49ers are bringing back a familiar face. The team has re-signed veteran wide receiver Jordan Matthews to a one-year deal, which was first reported by Matt Barrows of The Athletic, and officially placed center Weston Richburg on injured reserve.
Per a league source, the #49ers are signing WR Jordan Matthews, who spent the offseason with the team. He'll become the team's sixth receiver.
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) December 11, 2019
The 49ers also announced the signings of cornerback Dontae Johnson, first reported by Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio, to the active roster and offensive lineman Kofi Amichia, first reported by Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, and cornerback Jermaine Kelly to the team's practice squad.
Matthews will wear No. 81 while Johnson will wear No. 35.
The move to re-sign Matthews comes after the 49ers placed wide receiver Marquise Goodwin on season-ending injured reserve.
Matthews knows the 49ers offense. San Francisco signed him on March 14, and the receiver spent the entire offseason with the team.
The 49ers released Matthews as part of the team's roster cut-down in August but re-signed him on October 3 before releasing him again on October 26. Between those dates, Matthews signed on with his former squad, the Philadelphia Eagles, before being waived on November 25.
"With Jordan, the best thing is how much he's played," head coach Kyle Shanahan said of Matthews in October. "He's played a lot of football. He's a very reliable guy. We don't mind putting him in there at any position. The game's not too big for him. He plays very physical, he's a big guy, he can run also, he's got good hands."
Matthews has appeared in one game with the 49ers and two games with the Eagles this season. He has four receptions for 33 yards this year, all of which came with Philadelphia.
Richburg suffered a torn patellar tendon during the third quarter of Sunday's 48-46 victory over the New Orleans Saints. The injury occurred when his leg got tangled up with the legs of guard Mike Person.
"He got bent back, and there was no way he could avoid it," head coach Kyle Shanahan said on Monday. "He got caught under a bad position, but we were extremely appreciative of him this year."
Richburg was in his sixth NFL season and his second with San Francisco since joining the team on a five-year deal in March of 2018. He started all 13 games for the 49ers this season.
The center played through injury last year and underwent knee surgery and a lengthy offseason rehab after the season.
"I thought Richburg played very well," Shanahan said. "He played like the guy that we hoped for when he got here. I think he did that last year in some games, but not consistently throughout the year."
Ben Garland replaced Richburg against the Saints and will most likely continue doing so moving forward.
