Cassius Marsh‘s 1 1/2-season run with the 49ers appears to be over. The team will release the five-year defensive end, Matt Barrows of The Athletic tweets. Marsh confirmed he is on the way out (via Twitter).
This comes after Marsh’s 5.5 sacks were second on the team last season (and first among 49er edge rushers). The 49ers, though, added a higher-profile defensive end this week in Dee Ford. That move likely prompted the team to move on from Marsh — a player the 49ers extended barely a year ago.
Marsh, who had one season and a $3.8MM salary left on that contract, joined the 49ers via November 2017 waiver claim. He finished his 49er tenure with 7.5 sacks in 22 games.
In addition to Ford, San Francisco has been closely linked to adding yet another pass rusher with its upcoming No. 2 overall pick. The 49ers still have Arik Armstead, DeForest Buckner and Solomon Thomas in the fold — each first-round picks since 2015 — but still need help on the edge. With this draft featuring one of the better defensive line classes in memory, and a potential Kyler Murray No. 1 overall pick in line to push Nick Bosa off the top spot, the 49ers are expected to add a younger player to complement Ford next month.
I get that they probably will draft Bosa or Allen or another pass rusher but this guy is the perfect type of player you want on your team, plays hard every single snap and great attitude. Could’ve been a good Special Teams player and subbed in on defense here and there. Hopefully they don’t need him but I personally think they should’ve kept him.
I’m sure the Bosa family is hopeful of both their sons playing in California