A San Francisco 49ers linebacker was given a hard pill to swallow on Sunday. After just five days with the team, proven talent and 10-year veteran Deion Jones was not included in the team’s final 53-man roster announced on Sunday.
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“August 25: 49ers trade RB Zamir White to Saints for LB Deion Jones. August 30: 49ers release Jones; Saints release White,” analyst Matt Maiocco wrote on X.
The New Orleans Saints had signed Jones on August 8 along with defensive lineman Brien Taylor and edge rusher Malakai Williams. Jones lasted just over two weeks with the Saints before they traded him to the 49ers in exchange for RB Zamir White on August 25. Now both those players have been released by their new teams.
Before getting cut, Jones played in the 49ers’ preseason finale against the Las Vegas Raiders, finishing with two solo tackles and one pass defended. Alas, it wasn’t enough to get him a spot on the final 53-man roster.
The 49ers already have a strong linebacker group, so they did not have much room for Deion Jones. Fred Warner is back after an ankle injury ended his 2025 season, while Dre Greenlaw has returned after recovering from his Achilles injury. Rookie Jaden Dugger also played well in the preseason.
This was a far cry from the early part of Jones’ career. The Atlanta Falcons picked him in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He made a solid impact as a rookie, recording 108 tackles, 75 with four tackles for loss, 11 passes defended, and two interceptions returned for touchdowns. Plus, he also helped them reach the Super Bowl.
However, injuries were one of the reasons behind his downfall. It all started when Jones suffered a foot injury in Atlanta’s 2018 season opener against Philadelphia. Afterward, he went through surgery and was also placed on injured reserve, limiting him to just six games that season.
Then the foot problem carried into the 2019 offseason and training camp. Jones worked on his recovery and returned to play 16 games that season.
His next major setback came with a shoulder injury. Jones had surgery after the 2021 season and missed the start of 2022 while recovering. He spent the first five games of that season on injured reserve before returning and later being traded from Atlanta to Cleveland.
Since then, he has had several stops with the Browns, Panthers, Bills, Saints, and 49ers before being waived by them.
Last season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he appeared in all 17 games but played a much smaller role, recording 29 tackles, with 16 coming as solo stops.
Overall, Deion Jones has played 128 regular-season games and started 91 in his NFL career. He has recorded 761 tackles, 12 sacks, 50 tackles for loss, 13 interceptions, and 53 passes defended, along with five forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and five defensive touchdowns.
Jones being released was only the tip of the iceberg in the 49ers’ roster cuts.
The 33 Players Cut By the 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers have trimmed their roster down to 53 players ahead of the 2026 season, with 14 players being released and 19 waived. The full list of the 14 released players includes (via SB Nation):
- CB Eli Apple
- DL Quinton Bell
- S Ashtyn Davis
- RB Khalil Herbert
- WR KhaDarel Hodge
- WR Trenton Irwin
- LB Deion Jones
- OL Robert Jones
- OL Doug Kramer Jr.
- DL Ogbo Okoronkwo
- OL Brandon Parker
- WR Malik Turner
- P Corliss Waitman
- LS Jon Weeks
In simple terms, these players are no longer under contract with San Francisco. As for the list of 19 players who have been waived, it includes:
- OL Isaac Alarcon
- DL Evan Anderson
- TE Khalil Dinkins
- DL Bryson Eason
- DL Viliami Fehoko Jr.
- LB Jalen Graham
- WR Wesley Grimes
- DL Jah Joyner
- CB Darrell Luter Jr.
- QB Adrian Martinez
- RB Sincere McCormick
- S Patrick McMorris
- OL Drake Nugent
- WR Will Pauling
- CB Jakob Robinson
- TE Hayden Rucci
- S Jalen Stroman
- DL Sebastian Valdez
- LB Larry Worth III
For these players, the ball to claim them off waivers is now in rival teams’ courts. The 49ers can still make changes as waived players go through the waiver process and as coaches decide how to handle injured players before Week 1, so the current roster is only the starting point.