The San Francisco 49ers have signed cornerback Anthony Averett, the NFL team announced on Thursday.

The former Alabama defensive back had been an unrestricted free agent since March 15.

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Averett took the roster spot left vacant when the 49ers placed cornerback Terrance Mitchell on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury. The eight-year veteran had signed with San Francisco on July 26.

The 49ers return starting cornerbacks Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir.

Averett finished the 2022 season on injured reserve with the Las Vegas Raiders. It was his second stint on IR for the season.

Averett came out of the season-opening game on Sept. 11 with a broken thumb. He returned on Oct. 23 and had started at cornerback and free safety before going out again after six games because of a broken toe sustained on Nov. 27 in a 40-34 overtime victory against the Seattle Seahawks.

Averett entered the NFL as a fourth-round selection of the Baltimore Ravens in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Averett spent his first three seasons largely as a reserve with the Ravens, with his defensive snaps increasing from 71 in 2018 to 220 in 2019 and 354 in 2020.

Averett moved into a starting role when Marcus Peters got hurt in the second game of the 2021 season. Averett’s performance across 14 starts in Baltimore’s defensive backfield included his three NFL interceptions and earned him a one-year, $4 million contract from Las Vegas in free agency.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.