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Trench Reinforcements: 49ers Sign OL Kion Smith, Waive WR Colton Dowell Amid Roster Ailments
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- Trench Reinforcements: 49ers Sign OL Kion Smith, Waive WR Colton Dowell Amid Roster Ailments
The San Francisco 49ers' personnel department continues to work around the clock as an unrelenting wave of training camp injuries forces daily roster adjustments in Santa Clara. With roughly 20 players currently dealing with various physical ailments across the active 90 man roster, general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan made their latest transactional tweak on Thursday morning. The 49ers officially signed offensive lineman Kion Smith to a one year deal and waived wide receiver Colton Dowell .
The roster addition came directly on the heels of a busy Wednesday workout session at the team's practice facility. Facing depth shortages across multiple position groups, San Francisco auditioned five free agents, including offensive guards Braden Daniels and Kion Smith, offensive tackle Ryan Mosesso, and wide receivers Kristian Wilkerson and Donovan Peoples-Jones. While Peoples-Jones brought the most recognizable resume, highlighted by an 839-yard campaign with the Cleveland Browns in 2022, the front office ultimately prioritized immediate reinforcement along the offensive line.
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Bolstering the Interior Offensive Line
The addition of the 6 foot 5, 300 pound Smith addresses immediate depth concerns upfront. San Francisco found itself short handed earlier in the week when veteran interior lineman Brett Toth missed practice with an undisclosed injury and rookie tackle Carver Willis entered concussion protocol.
Smith, 27, has been in the NFL since 2021 after entering the league as an undrafted free agent out of Fayetteville State. He spent the past several seasons with the Miami Dolphins , accumulating 201 total offensive snaps. The majority of that action came last season, when Smith made three consecutive starts at right guard to open the year. While his starting stint saw mixed results. He performed solidly in his first two games before struggling against the Buffalo Bills ' pass rush. His background in a fast-paced, zone-blocking system makes him a fit for Shanahan's offensive scheme.
The Shifting Numbers Game
To clear space for Smith on the roster, the 49ers parted ways with wide receiver Colton Dowell. A seventh round selection by the Tennessee Titans in the 2023 NFL Draft, Dowell had spent the offseason attempting to carve out a role on San Francisco's depth chart. However, after the 49ers recently added wideouts Deebo Samuel and KhaDarel Hodge to stabilize a receiving corps recovering from Ricky Pearsall 's season ending knee surgery, Dowell became the odd man out.
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Smith's arrival marks just the latest chapter in San Francisco's ongoing roster shuffle, coming on the heels of signings like edge rusher Ogbo Okoronkwo and the release of veterans Kevin Givens and Cameron Sample . With the preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans fast approaching on August 13, Smith will get immediate opportunities to log valuable practice reps and push for a permanent role on the 53 man roster.
