The San Francisco 49ers' depth chart at defensive end suddenly looks a lot healthier after they agreed their second deal at the position on the first day of the NFL's negotiating window. 

San Francisco, per NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, is set to sign Yetur Gross-Matos to a two-year, $18 million deal.

That report follows news of the 49ers agreeing to terms with another edge rusher in Leonard Floyd, who will reportedly join San Francisco on a two-year, $20 million deal. that could be worth up to $24 million.

While Floyd is an experienced veteran entering his age-32 season with a history of strong production, the signing of Gross-Matos is a bet on a younger, less productive player with traits the 49ers have consistently coveted.

Gross-Matos is a long-armed and physically gifted pass rusher who posted an A to Z Sports' burst score of 84.1% for this pre-draft workout in 2020, which saw him excel in the vertical leap and broad jump, viewed as measures of the explosiveness a prospect has in his lower half.

While those efforts didn't immediately translate to NFL success after he was drafted 38th overall by the Panthers in 2020, Gross-Matos enjoyed the best season of his career as a pass rusher in 2023 for a dismal Carolina team. He recorded career-highs in sacks (4.5) and tackles for loss (7), speaking to run defense upside that the Niners will surely look to harness, along with 10 quarterback hits.

Gross-Matos can also provide positional flexibility. Though he spent limited time at defensive tackle in 2023, he played 137 snaps there in 2022. Last season, San Francisco clearly missed Charles Omenihu's ability to win inside and out dearly after his departure for the Kansas City Chiefs, and Gross-Matos could restore that particular string to the Niners' bow once again.

That versatility is something the 49ers' defensive staff will surely hope to take advantage of and, with Gross-Matos still only 26, there is plenty of reason to believe he could take giant steps under the guidance of defensive line coach Kris Kocurek and earn incentives that are likely to be a key feature of the contract.

San Francisco looked worryingly thin at edge before the start of the negotiating window. Now with a productive veteran and a younger talent who looks to be ascending on the depth chart, the cupboard in that area looks a lot less bare.

There's no suggestion yet that the signings of Floyd and Gross-Matos will prevent the 49ers from making further aggressive pushes in free agency, but these two mid-tier deals with players who are very much at different points in their careers may lessen the urgency for San Francisco to go after a splash at a position they value higher than most.

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It likely won’t be matched.