49ers trade for veteran linebacker who played under Kyle Shanahan and Raheem Morris

ORCHARD PARK, NY - JANUARY 02: Deion Jones #45 of the Atlanta Falcons after a game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on January 2, 2022 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The San Francisco 49ers have made a trade!

It's player-for-player. Zamir White, who was signed after a couple of injuries at running back, is being traded for linebacker Deion Jones.

The Atlanta Falcons drafted Jones a decade ago. He spent his rookie season in Atlanta under offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. Raheem Morris was coaching on the offensive side of the ball for the majority of his tenure when Jones was there. However, there was overlap in 2020, when Morris was the defensive coordinator alongside the interim coach. That was in 2020. So Shanahan and Morris have both seen Jones during 100+ tackle seasons.

Jones played in both preseason games for the New Orleans Saints. He played 23 and 25 snaps in each game, and also covered punts and kicks. During the first preseason game for the Saints, Jones didn't take the field defensively until the end of the third quarter. Like White and San Francisco, New Orleans was probably going to part ways with Jones when it's time for roster cuts.

As a veteran with special teams experience, Jones likely spells bad news for one of the linebackers fighting for a roster spot.

That could be Tatum Bethune, Garret Wallow, Jalen Graham, Luke Gifford, or all of the above. It could also be the 49ers adding a body they believe can fill in if there are injuries inside, acknowledging that neither Nick Martin nor Jaden Dugger is ready to play if Fred Warner or Dre Greenlaw suffers an injury.

With Martin suffering a hamstring injury late Thursday, it could also be the team telling us that Martin's injury is severe.

If you're on the roster bubble, the last thing you want to see is your team trade for the position you play.

One of Jones' calling cards has been as a pass rusher. As we've seen, that is something Raheem Morris is going to do early and often with his inside linebackers. Jones pressured the quarterback on 23.1% of his rushes last season with Tampa Bay.

No matter where he's been, Jones' pressure percentage has been above league average. And even as he's gotten longer in the tooth, Jones has still recorded multiple hustle stops," which is when a defender makes a tackle from 20 yards away. He had two last season in 20 snaps. That's a sign that his speed remains above average