SANTA CLARA — Malcolm Smith finds himself in a familiar situation in joining the 49ers.
He signed with the Raiders in 2015 as an unrestricted free agent, a team that was coming off a 3-13 season and had a new coach in Jack Del Rio.
The Raiders went from 7-9 to 12-4 and their first playoff berth since the 2002 season.
Now Smith joints the 49ers, a 2-14 team a year ago, but with new general manager in John Lynch and a new coach in Kyle Shanahan.
His career started as a seventh-round draft pick out of USC in 2011, joining a 7-9 Seattle team that was poised for great things.