SANTA CLARA – The 49ers signed seven-year veteran inside linebacker Desmond Bishop for the final two games of the regular season, a league source said Tuesday morning.
The 49ers placed special-teams player Kassim Osgood on injured reserve to create the roster space for Bishop's signing. Osgood sustained a broken hand in the 49ers' 17-7 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. Osgood becomes the 14th player the 49ers have placed on IR this seasons.
Bishop, a San Francisco native, worked out for the 49ers last week. He was signed after rookie Chris Borland sustained an ankle sprain on the final play of the first half Sunday. Borland played one snap in the second half and could not continue.
Borland is not expected to be available for the 49ers' game Saturday night against the San Diego Chargers at Levi's Stadium. General manager Trent Baalke, speaking Monday on his weekly segment on 95.7 The Game, called Borland's availability a "long shot."
With Borland out of the lineup in the second half, the 49ers went with Michael Wilhoite at the "mike" linebacker position and special-teams player Nick Moody at "jack" linebacker.
Bishop played his first five NFL seasons with the Green Bay Packers after being a sixth-round draft pick from Cal in 2007.
He missed most of last season with the Minnesota Vikings due to a torn ACL. He signed with the Arizona Cardinals but did not play. The Cardinals released him earlier this month.
