The San Francisco 49ers have come under fire for a few of their recent personnel moves, but it'll be hard to find anyone complaining about this one.
Former 49ers Director of Player Personnel Tom Gamble was let go by the Philadelphia Eagles on December 31 - his performance had been solid, but he found himself caught in the middle of a power struggle between GM Howie Roseman and HC Chip Kelly. Roseman wanted more control over personnel decisions, and a 'mutual decision to part ways' with Gamble - who had been close to Kelly - ensued.
Gamble was a close ally of GM Trent Baalke during his previous stint with the 49ers, and Baalke was quick to reach out after the Eagles made their move. According to Bay Area sports insider John Middlekauf, several sources around the league have told him they expect Gamble to rejoin the 49ers shortly.
Gamble had left San Francisco for Philadelphia out of sentimental reasons - he grew up there, and his first NFL job was with the Eagles back in the late '80's. Unfortunately, the power struggle he found himself in the middle of made his job untenable, and a disappointing 2014 season only made things worse. Gamble has a strong reputation around the league, and was linked to several GM vacancies over the past few years. He interviewed for GM jobs with the Jets and Jaguars after the 2012 season, but both teams ultimately looked elsewhere.
Baalke and the 49ers have some major personnel decisions to make in the coming months, and having a trusted hand like Gamble back in the office can only be a positive for the team.
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