49ers Add Captain of the Chargers for $28 Million Following “Surprising” Cut
The 49ers need help. And they got the best guy available. When it comes to 49ers news, that’s how things tend to go. Pretty much any major player who hits the waiver wire is going to be connected to San Francisco, which has plenty of cap space and plenty of big ambitions this season. When the Chargers cut Sebastian Joseph-Day last week, then, it came as no surprise that the 49ers were in the mix and, on Tuesday, reports came out that he would be joining the team on a one-year deal.
As ESPN’s Nick Wagoner wrote, “According to a team source, Sebastian Joseph-Day and the Niners agreed to terms on a one-year deal, with it expected to become official before San Francisco resumes practice Wednesday. The Los Angeles Chargers released Joseph-Day on Friday, a move that was somewhat surprising because he was a team captain who had started all 14 games with the team.”
It is not a big surprise, either, to find the sides getting together, because defensive line is very much a position of need. The 49ers are facing injury concerns on defensive interior, most notably with Arik Armstead, who is dealing with a foot injury and also has a knee problem. He missed Monday’s game against the Ravens this week. Javon Hargrave did play on Monday, but was questionable with a hamstring injury
Indeed, it was 49ers news last week, ahead of the Ravens game, when coach Kyle Shanahan conceded that the team is “concerned” about Armstead’s injury.
“Yes, we’re concerned,” Shanahan said on Saturday. “We do think he has a chance each week, but I’d say it’s a little more the foot than the knee. Something that’s bothered him for a little bit. I’m just hoping the pain will go down.”
Armstead has missed three games. He is battling a foot injury that is similar to the foot problem he had last year, when he missed a game with plantar fasciitis. That can be a persistent and unpredictable injury. Armstead dealt with it last year and was on the field for the playoffs. He played 36, 37 and 54 snaps in the 49ers’ three postseason outings.
Armstead is an elite interior lineman. At Pro Football Focus, he has earned a grade of 81.9, which is 10th among the 130 qualified defensive linemen in the NFL. Armstead is third on the team in sacks (5.0) and is second with 13 quarterback hits.
And it would be good 49ers news if the team can get something out of Joseph-Day sooner rather than later.
Joseph-Day has had 31 tackles and three sacks this season, and, at 28 years old, was voted as a team captain for the Chargers before the season. He started all 14 games this season and started 16 games for the Chargers last year. He began his career with the Rams but signed a three-year, $28 million contract with the Chargers in 2022.
Joseph-Day had a PFF grade of 76.8, which was 22nd among all defensive linemen, in 2020. But he suffered a knee injury in 2021, and has not been the same since. He had a 51.0 grade last year with the Chargers, 141st among defensive linemen. This year, he was graded at 59.7, 67th at his position.
