San Francisco 49ers sign former Titans defender they've been eyeing since 2023 after rookie minicamp tryout

The San Francisco 49ers have had their eye on Shakel Brown for a while.

Now they have finally added the defensive lineman to their roster after a successful tryout at their rookie minicamp. Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 reported the signing.

The 49ers hosted Brown on a top-30 visit last year following his final college season at Troy, but he signed with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent.

View the original article to see embedded media.

Brown never got the chance to impress as a rookie for the Titans. He suffered an ankle injury in preseason that led to him being placed on injured reserve.

The Titans waived Brown last week, giving him the chance to impress the 49ers, and it is an opportunity he grasped.

Brown's addition gives the 49ers an athletic defensive lineman with inside-out versatility, though he spent most of his final year with Troy lined up at defensive end.

His pre-draft testing saw Brown posted a Relative Athletic Score of 9.47 out of 10, his workout featuring excellent performances in the 40-yard dash, 10-yard split, vertical leap and the short shuttle.

Brown had 32 tackles, six tackles for loss, four sacks and a forced fumble in the 2022 season for Troy.

But as the 18th defensive lineman on the 49ers' roster, he likely faces an uphill battle to get himself in a position to deliver similar production for San Francisco.

Brown's signing takes the 49ers over the 90-man roster limit, meaning they will need to waive a player in a corresponding move.

Related: San Francisco 49ers' front office gets a post-draft shakeup with several changes to scouting department