NFL Free Agency: 10 Players the San Francisco 49ers Should Target in 2016
By Peter Panacy
The 2016 San Francisco 49ers are going to have a unique situation in they haven’t enjoyed for a number of years: a large amount of cap space and a variety of needs. So which players should the Niners target in free agency?
2016 will be yet another rebuilding year for the San Francisco 49ers as the team looks to rebound from a 5-11 campaign and overwhelmingly underachieving effort from a sizable portion of the roster.
Turning things around in short order won’t be easy for new head coach Chip Kelly. And the pressure will be on for general manager Trent Baalke.
Fortunately, the 49ers do have some good news and fortunes when it comes to tackling this offseason.
San Francisco is armed with as many as 12 draft picks, including four compensatory selections. The Niners will also have a significantly large amount of cap space against the $150 million projected salary cap.
According to Over the Cap, the 49ers will have $53,554,714 in cap space. This ranks as the third most out of all 32 NFL teams.
A large amount of cap room, combined with a number of free agents hitting the open market, means the 49ers should be in a pretty good position to add some bona fide NFL-ready talent this offseason.
They’ll need it.
But which players should San Francisco target? Who should be on Baalke’s radar this offseason?
Niner Noise attempts to answer these questions by determining the fit, expense and, most importantly, the need. The 49ers certainly won’t be landing each and every one of these free agents. To do so would be nearly impossible and would likely cause some cap hell for San Francisco at some point, if not this season.
Still, it’s worth taking a look at some players the Niners should be eyeing this offseason.
Next: WR Anquan Boldin