Mitchell joins defensive line
Free agent from the Dolphins reportedly gets $16 million deal
SANTA CLARA — Veteran free agent Earl Mitchell agreed to a four-year contract Friday to join the 49ers up-and-coming defensive line, a league source confirmed.
Mitchell will earn $5.5 million this season as part of the $16 million deal, as first reported by NFL Network. The 49ers have not confirmed the deal but are expected to do so Saturday.
The 49ers hosted Mitchell, 29, on Wednesday during a free agent tour that included visits to the Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons.
Although free agency doesn’t begin until March 7 and players can’t sign until March 9, Mitchell could sign because he got cut last week from the Miami Dolphins after three seasons. He broke into the NFL from 2010-13 with the Houston Texans, where he was coached at one point by current 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and defensive line coach Jeff Zegonina.
The 49ers, under previous general manager Trent Baalke, invested their top pick of the past two drafts on defensive linemen Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner, and they awarded Quinton Dial with an extension last February. But the 49ers needed an interior run stuffer, and Mitchell (6foot-3, 310 pounds) fits that role in the new scheme featuring three down linemen. Glenn Dorsey is a pending free agent, as is Ian Williams, who missed 2016 with ankle issues.
The 49ers received a fourth-round compensatory draft pick for losing Alex Boone in free agency. They have 10 total picks, starting with No. 2 overall in the first round, as well as two picks in the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds.
Receiver DeAndre Carter, a San Jose native, signed a two-year deal. Carter (5-foot-8, 190 pounds) had stints on the Raiders and New England Patriots practice squad after entering the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2015 from Sacramento State.
Matt Malaspina left the 49ers personnel department after 11 years to become a Green Bay Packers college scout. Malaspina spent the past three years as the 49ers director of college scouting.