A day after signing former Raiders defensive end Arden Key, the 49ers are adding another former Las Vegas defender to their roster. Veteran defensive tackle Maurice Hurst announced Thursday night via Twitter that he is joining the 49ers.
A 2018 fifth-round pick out of Michigan, Hurst made 17 starts in 40 regular-season games with the Raiders. After making 10 starts as a rookie, Hurst made just seven starts over the last two seasons. He made a career-low three starts in 2020, a year that also saw him record career lows in sacks and tackles for loss. During his time with the Raiders, Hurst tallied 76 tackles, eight sacks, seven passes defensed, one interception, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.
49ers Let’s Go to Work!! This defense is about to go crazy!! Time to eat!
— Maurice Hurst Jr (@mohurstjr) April 22, 2021
#49ers || #FTTB
Hurst joins a 49ers defensive front that also includes Key, Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead, Zach Kerr, Javon Kinlaw, D.J. Jones and Dee Ford. The 49ers' defense suffered a blow when defensive end Kerry Hyder -- the 49ers' leader with 8.5 sacks last season -- inked a two-year deal with the Seahawks earlier this offseason.
With Robert Saleh now the head coach of the Jets, the 49ers' defense will be led by defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans. A former linebacker for the Texans and Eagles, the 36-year-old Ryans broke into the coaching ranks as the 49ers' quality control coach in 2017. He then spent three seasons as the team's inside linebackers coach before being promoted to defensive coordinator this offseason.
San Francisco is expected to select a quarterback with the third overall pick in the draft. Two of our CBS Sports NFL experts have the 49ers taking former Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields, while our other two experts have San Francisco taking former Alabama quarterback Mac Jones.
