Ogbo Okoronkwo signs with 49ers, reunites with Raheem Morris

The 49ers went shopping for edge help and landed a guy who already knows the building's vibe. San Francisco officially signed veteran defensive lineman Ogbo Okoronkwo to a one-year deal, reuniting him with head coach Raheem Morris, who coached him back during their Rams days.

Okoronkwo is 31 now, with 8 NFL seasons on his resume across the Rams, Texans, Browns and Eagles. He's got 127 tackles, 17 sacks and four forced fumbles over 81 career games, and he was part of that 2021 Rams team that won the Super Bowl. He's not walking in as a household name, but he's walked into a locker room with a ring before, and that matters when you're trying to plug a hole fast.

And the 49ers needed a hole plugged. This move comes right after rookie defensive end Makail Kamara went down with a torn ACL in training camp, a gut-punch injury for a defense that was already counting on him for depth. Okoronkwo himself is coming off a rough 2025 in Philadelphia, where a triceps tear in September limited him to just 1 game. Two banged-up situations meeting in the middle.

The full transaction sheet tells the real story of a roster in flux. Along with Okoronkwo, the 49ers also signed receiver KhaDarel Hodge to a one-year deal, and to make room for both they waived defensive linemen Kevin Givens and Cameron Sample. Givens had only been with the team since July 26, and Sample since April, so this wasn't about cutting long-tenured guys — it was about swapping in a proven veteran the second he became available.

For San Francisco, adding a rotational pass rusher with playoff pedigree ahead of the season is low-cost, low-risk depth insurance. Okoronkwo doesn't need to be a starter to matter — he just needs to be a body Morris trusts in obvious passing downs while the D-line sorts out who's healthy come September. Whether he sticks on the 53-man roster past camp is the next thing worth watching.