WEDNESDAY, 11:13am: The Niners have cut wideout and special-teamer Kassim Osgood to make room for Ventrone, tweets Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. It’s the third time in the last six weeks that Osgood has been released by San Francisco, but it may not be long before he returns to the team.
TUESDAY, 6:23pm: The 49ers have signed safety Bubba Ventrone, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (via Twitter). Ventrone was cut by San Francisco on August 30th as a part of their downsizing to a 53-man roster.
The Villanova product appeared in 16 games for the 49ers last season, primarily on special teams. Across seven NFL seasons, Ventrone has 61 career tackles, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries. At 5’10” and 200 pounds, Ventrone isn’t the biggest guy on the field, but he has been widely praised for his toughness and work ethic. The 49ers’ punt-coverage team is giving up an average of 14.8 yards on punt returns, so someone like Ventrone is sorely needed in SF.