The 49ers agreed to terms with Cameron Sample Thursday, adding a potential rotational player to their defensive line.
Sample, 26, played in 14 games with two starts, two sacks and one forced fumble for the Cincinnati Bengals last season. The deal was first reported by NFL Network and confirmed by a league source. It was a comeback year for Sample, who lost his 2024 season to a torn Achilles tendon.
At 6-foot-3, 272 pounds, Sample can play both end and inside at tackle, which is a shared trait among defensive linemen preferred by the 49ers.
A fourth-round draft pick out of Tulane in 2021, Sample has played in 61 games with five starts, seven sacks and 85 total tackles. He played 234 snaps last season, the lowest total of his four-year career.
Both of the 49ers’ projected starting defensive ends — Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams — are coming off torn ACLs. Bosa, who was injured in Week 3, has a better chance at seeing time in training camp than Williams, who went down in Week 9.
Other defensive linemen on the roster heading into the NFL draft April 23-25 are tackles Osa Odighizuwa, Alfred Collins, C.J. West, Sebastian Valdez, Evan Anderson and ends Sam Okuayinonu, Andrew Farmer II and William Bradley-King.
The 49ers finished with an NFL low of 20 sacks in 2025.