Niner Noise
FanSided

Breaking Down San Francisco 49ers’ 2016 Salary Cap Situation

By Bryan Knowles

Dec 20, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers inside linebacker NaVorro Bowman (53) celebrates after the 49ers recovered an onside kick during the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. The Cincinnati Bengals defeated the San Francisco 49ers 24-14. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 20, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers inside linebacker NaVorro Bowman (53) celebrates after the 49ers recovered an onside kick during the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. The Cincinnati Bengals defeated the San Francisco 49ers 24-14. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 3, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers fullback Bruce Miller (49) looks to elude St. Louis Rams strong safety Maurice Alexander (31) after making a catch in the first quarter at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 3, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers fullback Bruce Miller (49) looks to elude St. Louis Rams strong safety Maurice Alexander (31) after making a catch in the first quarter at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /

Running Backs

[table id=27 /]

Free agents: Reggie Bush; Shaun Draughn

The 49ers don’t have any major contracts weighing them down at the running back position. They have no major needs, either—they could use a more solid backup than Mike Davis, who had a rough rookie season, but it’s not like they’re desperate to bulk up the running back position.

They could stand to re-sign either Bush or Draughn as a superior backup option—my choice between the two would be the younger Draughn.  Otherwise, they could bring in someone cheap to share carries and take some of the load off of Hyde, who was injured last season. Think less Lamar Miller and more Ronnie Hillman, in other words.

There’s also the continued mystery of Jarryd Hayne’s development, and I’d love to see what Chip Kelly can do with a raw talent like him. Intriguing for a different reason is Bruce Miller, a long-time solid fullback. Kelly hasn’t really used a fullback in the past, but he has indicated in the past that good fullbacks are hard to come by. We’ll see how Miller works in Kelly’s system.

Next: Wide Receivers