After 2 different stints with the San Francisco 49ers, former No. 4 overall pick and ege rusher Clelin Ferrell is headed to the AFC East.
“The Dolphins have signed former No. 4 overall pick DE Clelin Ferrell,” The 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov wrote on his official X account on Monday.
“Dolphins sign Clelin Ferrell, waive Kahlil Saunders,” NFL reporter Aaron Wilson wrote on his official X account.
Ferrell started all 17 regular-season games for the 49ers in 2023 and returned to play for them in 2025, with no starts in 8 games. He was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft by the Las Vegas Raiders.
“21 sacks, 57 NFL starts for new Fin DL Clelin Ferrell,” Dolphins reporter Barry Jackson wrote on his official X account. “233 defensive snaps for 49ers last season and 17 for Rams. Worth a look. Nothing to lose with Dolphins signing high picks like Ferrell, Terrace Marshall, Jalen Reagor. Low risk, possible high reward.”
Clelin Ferrell Market Corrected in 2019 NFL Draft
Unfortunately for Ferrell, he wasn’t the only defensive end the Raiders selected in 2019. In the 4th round (No. 106 overall), they selected Eastern Michigan’s Maxx Crosby, who has been 1 of the NFL’s elite edge rushers from the moment he stepped on the field.
Over the next 4 seasons, Crosby’s star continued to rise. Ferrell continued to decline, and had a career-high 4.5 sacks as a rookie, but just 10.0 sacks from 2019 to 2022 before the Raiders let him become a free agent.
Ferrell played 2023 on a 1-year, $2.5 million contract with the San Francisco 49ers and breathed life into his career by starting all 17 games and finishing with 3.5 sacks as the 49ers advanced to the Super Bowl.
When former 49ers assistant general manager Adam Peters was hired as Washington’s general manager following the 2023 season, he made a move to bring Ferrell with him on a 1-year, $3.75 million contract.
“General manager Adam Peters brought Ferrell to Washington because he knows he’s a good leader, works hard and has no problem mentoring younger players,” USA Today’s Bryan Manning wrote on July 15. “Ferrell is a good run-stopper. He will likely play a similar role in Washington as he did in San Francisco.”
Both 49ers Starters Coming Off ACL Injuries
Both of the projected starters at edge rusher for the 49ers are coming off ACL injuries — former NFL Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa and 2025 1st-round pick (No. 11 overall) Mykel Williams.
With Bosa, there’s little doubt that if he’s properly healed, he will get back to something close to his formerly dominant self.
With Williams, it’s a question of whether or not he’s even capable of being an elite edge rusher.
Pro Football Focus NFL reporter Bradley Locker put Williams at the top of his list of players under the most pressure to perform in Year 2.
“Williams was touted as a raw but high-upside prospect coming out of Georgia,” Locker wrote on July 7. “The 49ers took a shot on him with the 11th overall pick in 2025 but will need to see much more of the latter. Williams played only 385 snaps after suffering a torn ACL in Week 9, but the results were generally subpar. His 51.9 PFF pass-rush grade ranked 90th out of 95 qualified edge defenders, as he tallied just 19 pressures on an 8.8% pass-rush win rate. Despite his run-stopping prowess in college, Williams wasn’t dominant in that department either … after Bryce Huff’s retirement, the 49ers are counting on Williams to be a legitimate running mate for the returning Nick Bosa.”
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