Now 33 and in his 11th NFL season, Elvis Dumervil isn’t in the 49ers’ long-term future plans.
But the 6-foot, 255-pound defensive end/outside linebacker pass-rush specialist has been a productive player for the 49ers in 2017.
Dumervil leads San Francisco in sacks with 5½ in 13 games and is coming off consecutive strong outings in victories over the Bears and Texans. He had a sack and two tackles at Chicago, and though he didn’t have a sack in Houston, the Texans felt his pressure.
Dumervil this week was selected as one of the NFL’s top edge defenders of the week by the analytic website Pro Football Focus.
“Playing primarily on passing downs, Dumervil got pressure on one third of pass-rushing snaps, registering eight pressures on just 24 pass-rush snaps, including two hits on the quarterback,” wrote Brett Whitefield of PFF.
Dumervil’s hit on Tom Savage knocked the Texans quarterback out of the game. Savage was able to continue for a few snaps before he left.
The Niners hold an option on Dumervil for the 2018 season, and there’s certainly a chance the team could bring him back. His base salary for next season will be $2.75 million.
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Despite the 49ers’ problems this season, Dumervil says he’d like to remain with the team. He’s come back strong from an Achilles’ injury a couple of seasons ago that limited his playing time in 2016 with Baltimore.
Dumervil says he’s proven his worth to his new team, even if he’s not the elite player he was in earlier seasons. He has 104½ career sacks and led the NFL in 2009 with 17. He matched that total in 2014 with the Ravens.
“From the top down, I think we all understand I have a lot in my tank,” Dumervil recently told Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. “That’s not a question. I said this from the beginning: I didn’t come to San Francisco to just sail off into the sunset.”
Dumervil and the 3-10 49ers will play host to the 8-5 Titans Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.
