The San Francisco 49ers sign German NFL pro Mark Nzeocha for their practice squad. The Franconian once played in the Super Bowl with the team.

Munich – After the surprising debut of kicker Dominik Eberle with the Houston Texans, Mark Nzeocha could soon make his comeback in the NFL.

Nzeocha: Return to San Francisco

The San Francisco 49ers announced on Wednesday that they have signed the Ansbach native to their practice squad. Nzeocha already played for San Francisco between 2017 and 2020 and even appeared in the Super Bowl during the 2019 season, which, however, went to the Kansas City Chiefs.

In total, the 31-year-old played in 47 games for the 49ers and was mainly used in the special teams. He had 40 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble and one interception. After the 2020 season, the 49ers did not pull the contract option for another year.

The time as a free agent is over for the German NFL pro for the time being, he returns to “Frisco”.

Assignment also possible without a fixed contract

It’s still unclear whether the 49ers will ultimately call on Nzeocha in a game. Practice squad rules at least ensure that a short-term call-up in the coming weeks would at least be within the realm of possibility.

Teams are allowed to promote two players from the Practice Squad to the active squad each matchday without having to offer them a permanent contract. Members of the practice squad can thus be activated for two matches before they would have to sign a permanent contract on the third assignment.

On the Practice Squad, Nzeocha earns at least $14,000 per week as a player with more than two years of NFL experience.