Two veterans who barely unpacked
Zamir White signed with San Francisco on August 12. Deion Jones signed with New Orleans on August 7. Neither has lasted a month, and now they are swapping places.
ESPN broke the story late Sunday: the Saints get the running back, the 49ers get the linebacker. Neither club has confirmed anything yet.
New Orleans has an obvious reason to be shopping. Alvin Kamara, a five-time Pro Bowler, is expected to be down 4 to 6 weeks with an MCL injury. The Saints had already hedged by giving Travis Etienne a four-year deal at $12 million per season, but Kellen Moore has been consistent about wanting a deep committee in the backfield rather than one workhorse.
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One is stuck fourth on a depth chart, the other has a Pro Bowl behind him
White turns 27 on September 18 and sat fourth on San Francisco’s unofficial depth chart, miles behind Christian McCaffrey. Las Vegas drafted him in the fourth round in 2022 out of Georgia. Across 45 games with nine starts he has 198 carries for 736 yards, two touchdowns and 25 catches for 152 yards. Last season barely happened for him: six appearances, 12 carries, 32 yards.
Jones, 31, has been around. Atlanta took him in the second round in 2016 out of LSU, and he finished third in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting after three interceptions, two returned to the house. By year two he was a Pro Bowler with a career-best 138 tackles. The full ledger reads 761 tackles, 12 sacks, 13 picks with five returned for scores and 53 passes defended over 128 games for the Falcons, Browns, Panthers and Buccaneers. He played all 17 games for Tampa Bay last year in a reserve role, finishing with 29 tackles.
Follow the coordinator
San Francisco’s interest makes more sense once you notice who runs their defence now. Raheem Morris coached Jones in Atlanta as an assistant from 2015 to 2019, then as defensive coordinator and interim head coach in 2020, before coming back as head coach in 2024 and 2025. He is the 49ers’ new defensive coordinator, and coaches tend to bring familiar bodies with them.
Whether either front office puts a signature on it is another matter.
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