Source: 49ers bring defensive tackle Earl Mitchell out of retirement

The 49ers are turning to a familiar face to address depth issues along the defensive line heading into the playoffs.

The team signed nose tackle Earl Mitchell, a league source confirmed to The Bee on Tuesday, after Mitchell spent 2017 and 2018 with the club. The Athletic Bay Area was first to report the news.

The 32-year-old recently retired from the NFL after failing to make the Seattle Seahawks out of training camp. He recorded 61 tackles and a sack over his two years in San Francisco. He was released last January to allow 2017 sixth-round draft pick D.J. Jones to have a more prominent role at nose tackle.

Jones went down with a season-ending high ankle sprain earlier this month against the New Orleans Saints, leaving the 49ers without a traditional nose tackle in the middle of their stout defensive line. The team tried mixing and matching with Solomon Thomas and Sheldon Day, though neither were seamless fits at the position. Additionally, defensive tackle Jullian Taylor was lost last week to a season-ending ACL tear during practice.

Bringing Mitchell back to replace Jones could potentially allow Thomas and Day to return to their roles as rotational players behind starters Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner.

San Francisco’s defensive line has been in flux with injuries to key reserves which has played a role in a drop in production during the final month of the season. The team previously lost defensive ends Ronald Blair III (ACL) and Damontre Moore (fractured forearm) to season-ending injuries.

Mitchell has played nine seasons for three teams, the Texans, Dolphins and 49ers. He was a third-round draft pick of Houston 2010 out of the University of Arizona. Mitchell has 6.5 sacks, 267 tackles and 24 tackles for loss in his NFL career.

In other news, the 49ers are optimistic about defensive end Dee Ford’s availability for the first playoff game in the Divisional Round Jan. 11. Ford missed five of the past six games with a hamstring strain he aggravated after just four snaps in New Orleans.

This story was originally published December 31, 2019 at 2:38 PM.