The 49ers signed free-agent linebacker and special teams player Dekoda Watson, who is familiar to defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, to a three-year deal, the team announced Friday.
Watson, 29, has started seven games since being a seventh-round pick by Tampa Bay in 2010, though he has no defensive starts since 2014 when he was a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Saleh was the Jaguars linebackers coach that season, meaning that the 49ers now have three inside linebackers -- free-agent additions Malcolm Smith and Brock Coyle are the others -- who are familiar with the defense Saleh will run this season.