49ers sign safety Craig Dahl to three-year contract

In an effort to improve their depth in the secondary, the San Francisco 49ers have signed former St. Louis Rams safety Craig Dahl to a three-year deal.

Dahl, 27, spent the last four seasons with the Rams and started 40 of the 61 games played. Registering over 100 tackles in a season for the first time in his career in 2012, he went undrafted in 2007 out of North Dakota State before starting his career with the New York Giants. With Goldson now a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dahl will have a chance to compete for the starting job. 

“They told me that there was an opportunity to play in the voided safety position in the secondary and I’m hoping to come in here and mesh well with the secondary and fill that void,” Dahl said.

Despite being an experienced safety vying for Goldson’s old spot, Dahl will still likely have to complete for the starting role. When asked about whether the 49ers will still look to the draft for a rookie safety, CSNBayArea.com’s Matt Maiocco said this during a chat on ScribbleLive: 

“Absolutely, the 49ers will look for a safety in this draft. Regardless of who they signed, that player was probably going to be a short-term option. This is a good draft to select a safety. It’s part of the reason the 49ers did not even consider giving Goldson anywhere near his asking price.” 

Aside from Dahl, other veteran options considered by the 49ers included Ed Reed, Charles Woodson and Louis Delmas, who re-signed with the Detroit Lions with a two-year deal.