As usual, the San Francisco 49ers are dealing with plenty of injury problems. Star edge rusher Nick Bosa hasn’t been able to practice for most of August due to issues in the same knee that he injured last season. Other than that, they’re relying on quite a few young, unproven prospects to prop up their defensive line.
Last season, they were able to go 12-5 and advance to the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, despite a rash of injuries, thanks to their defense. But that defense has some real question marks, even though their linebacker room looks strong.
Thus, on Wednesday, the Niners reportedly met with Jah Joyner, a defensive end who recently played in the United Football League (UFL).
San Francisco proceeded to sign him on Wednesday, per Aaron Wilson of Houston-based KPRC.
Who is Jah Joyner?
Joyner, a Connecticut native, spent five years at the University of Minnesota. In his final year there, he had 32 total tackles (12 solo), 5.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and seven passes defended.
He went undrafted in 2025 and was signed by the Las Vegas Raiders in May. After playing in three preseason games with them, they waived him in late August.
Instead of playing in the NFL last fall, Joyner caught on with the Houston Gamblers of the UFL. He played in 10 games with them, and Pro Football Focus gave him a 76.7 run defense grade, a 45.4 tackling grade, a 76.6 pressure grade and an 85.1 overall defense grade for the season.
At 6-foot-4 and roughly 260 pounds, Joyner ran the 40-yard dash in 4.6 seconds at the NFL Scouting Combine last year. NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote that Joyner is “resilient and creates opportunities on the edges by utilizing his length and nose for the ball.”
It just so happens that the 49ers will play against the Raiders, Joyner’s former team, on Thursday in their final preseason game of 2026. They will then start to prepare for their trip to Australia, where they will go to battle against the Los Angeles Rams to kick off the regular-season schedule on Sept. 10.
