49ers Came Close to Signing Texans DB

The San Francisco 49ers were seemingly in the hunt to potentially sign recent Houston Texans free agent addition Damon Arnette, according to the defensive back's former coach.

During an interview with KPRC2's Aaron Wilson, UFL executive Daryl 'Moose' Johnston dove into Arnette's recent signing with the Texans, noting that the 49ers also appeared next to Houston with the most interest to acquire him.

"It was great to see the Houston Texans call, DeMeco Ryans," Johnston said. 'John Lynch in San Francisco was another one that called about him, so you can see that he really fits that style of defense that DeMeco wants to install with the Texans coming from the San Francisco 49ers, because those were probably the two busiest teams reaching out on Damon's behalf."

Arnette comes aboard the Texans after a stint with the UFL's Houston Roughnecks, a former first-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2020 NFL Draft, and has been out of the NFL mix since 2022.

Now, he eyes another shot to gain some traction in the league with the Texans, but it wasn't without another suitor in the 49ers trying their hand to make the addition– a team with some obvious connections to the Houston staff led by head coach DeMeco Ryans. Clearly, there was something special that San Francisco's defensive culture saw in the former first-rounder.

During Arnette's last season with the Roughnecks in 2025, he collected 18 tackles, one sack, five pass break-ups, and a pick-six, now finding his way back to the league at 28 years old.

Nov 22, 2020; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Damon Arnette (20) against the Kansas City Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Arnette will have his opportunity to cement some more staying power on the Houston roster within this 53-man unit as the Texans will dive into training camp later next month, set to kick off on July 26th.

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