49ers Free Agent additions - DE Cam Sample
This past week, a month after free agency opened, the 49ers added an experienced DE to their defense. Let's break it down.
The 49ers signed DE Cam Sample on April 9th.
The defensive lineman is far from a lock to make the final roster, but come with lots of NFL snaps on his resume. I wanted to take the time to acknowledge and break down the signing.
Let's find out what Cam Sample could do for the 49ers!
Cameron Sample, Defensive End
Cam Sample was a 4th round pick in 2021 of the Cincinnati Bengals, and has 61 games with 5 starts under his belt. He's a bigger DE, at 6'3 272lbs.
He tore his achilles during training camp in 2024, causing him to miss that season. But he came back in 2025 and played 14 games(2 starts), but just 234 snaps. That was a career low defensively for Sample. He posted 2 sacks and 11 pressures(9.4%) in 2025, giving him 7 career sacks.
Here is a quick cut-up of Cam Sample. This is just the good stuff, and I watched Week 3 vs MIN, Week 17 vs AZ, and Week 18 vs CLE. Those were the weeks Sample had his highest snap percentages.
To start, let me say this. Yes, the 49ers need an edge rusher that can play the Bryce Huff role of being a designated pass rusher. Cam Sample does not fill that role. At all.
As mentioned, Sample is a bigger guy on the edge. And it shows, for better or worse.
The Good
His pass rush bag isn't bad for a player of his caliber(one of the last DL to make the roster).
His bull rush is decent, which makes sense considering his size. And Sample clearly works on his moves, as he has hand swipe moves he can consistently go to.
Solid run defender. Oddly enough, I was left wanting a bit more when he was on the edge. He doesn't hold the edge at a high level, which should look like controlling the blocker with a long arm. But it's good enough.
However, I was pleasantly surprised how effective Sample was defending the run from the interior. At his size, Sample often ends up lining up inside, typically to rush the passer. But Sample more than held his own when having to defend lined up inside. Partially due to the next point...
Sample knows the game. It may seem silly to say, but he really seems to have a great feel.
He recognizes when the QB plans to roll out, defends the run intelligently and stays on the backside. Sample even is solid at containing the QB in the pocket, but often comes up short in this pursuit due to his athletic profile.
The Bad
No bend, at all.
This obviously isn't ideal for an edge defender, but Sample takes a lot of his snaps from the interior anyways. So does this matter? I believe so. This showed up a lot on stunts. When Sample was lined up on the interior and asked to stunt around the outside, the lack of bend was noticeable. He moves incredibly upright.
This isn't necessarily bad, but despite lining up more on the interior, he isn't necessarily a good rusher from that spot. Often you see bigger DEs move to the inside in pass rushing situations, and the same is true for Sample. And even though he's better inside than on the edge, Sample isn't necessarily a force.
In the end, Sample has a real chance to make the team. Clearly deserves a spot in the league. But his role is the real question.
Here is the current state of the 49ers DE room going into the draft:
Nick Bosa - coming off an ACL tear, he's a superstar. 75% of snaps type of guy.
Mykel Williams - coming off an ACL tear, 2025 1st rounder. Role appears to be a starter on the edge, move inside on pass rush downs. 66% of snaps?
Keion White - coming off an ankle surgery. Role expected to be a rotator, who also primarily rushes from the interior. 45% of snaps?
Sam Okuayinonu - Role expected to be a rotator, available on any downs, more likely early down rotation guy. 30% of snaps?
That's all the 49ers have as of now, although I would be shocked if the 49ers don't add in the draft. The 49ers typically keep 6 DEs on the 53 man roster, giving Sample a legit shot.
Again, the question is his role.
I don't see Sample overtaking Williams nor White as a pass rusher from the interior, and DT Osa Odighizuwa is also slotted to be a part of that interior rush rotation.
And is Sample going to be a rotator on the edge, maybe just on early downs? It's possible, but from what I saw, I wouldn't project him to be ahead of any of the four players listed above.
Cam Sample is incredibly similar to Mykel Williams. They are built alike and play similar roles in the NFL. More of a run support from the edge, then slide inside to pass rush, mold of a player.
There is nothing wrong with this, and Sample appears to be a fine player, but he projects similarly to what the 49ers already have.
And this was obviously intentional. Remember, depth is never a bad thing. The 49ers love this archetype of player. They love flexibility. It allows them to align their defensive front however they want, run stunts off of these looks, and still get the benefit.
The only issue I would say here is Sample's lack of bend and overall athleticism. It's not on the same level of anyone listed above.
But again, depth is good!
I would definitely project Sample to make the roster, even after a likely draft pick. His flexibility along the front is what the 49ers have historically loved, and it gives him a good chance to make the squad.
Thanks for reading through the article!
A write up of recent 49ers signing CB Jack Jones is coming soon! The film cut-up is already on the twitter page, @GridironGoldM_.
Stay tuned for more NFL and 49ers articles, news, and opinions!
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