The San Francisco 49ers are re-signing 27-year-old cornerback Dontae Johnson, according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic.
Sources: #49ers are signing CB Dontae Johnson. I can only assume this has something to do with Jason Verrett, who tweaked his problematic left knee in Week 3 against Pittsburgh.
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) October 3, 2019
As Barrows notes, cornerback Jason Verrett emerged from the 49ers' Week 3 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers a little nicked up. He lasted just three snaps on defense and was pulled in favor of Emmanuel Moseley after giving up two big plays.
"The other day certainly wasn't a great debut for him," general manager John Lynch said of Verrett on September 27 during a KNBR interview. "I think he was very frustrated, but it's the first time he's played football in a long time. He came out of the game a little nicked up, so we'll see where he is health-wise."
The 49ers made Johnson a fourth-round selection out of NC State in 2014, and he remained with the team through the 2017 season. Johnson spent last year with the Seattle Seahawks, Buffalo Bills, and Arizona Cardinals and rejoined San Francisco on May 28, 2019 after a brief offseason stop with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Johnson was released as part of the roster cuts on August 30 and then spent a couple of weeks with the Los Angeles Chargers before being released on Saturday.
Johnson has accumulated 158 combined tackles, 21 passes defensed, two interceptions, and two touchdowns through his six NFL seasons.