Niner Noise
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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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Nov 22, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive end Glenn Dorsey (90) is carted off during the first quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field. Seattle defeated San Francisco, 29-13. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 22, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive end Glenn Dorsey (90) is carted off during the first quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field. Seattle defeated San Francisco, 29-13. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /

Defensive Line

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Free agents: Ian Williams, Tony Jerod-Eddie (RFA)

Defensive line is where things begin to get very interesting. Again, the 49ers will likely see at least three players not currently under contract on the final 53-man roster next season.

One of those players, hopefully, will be Ian Williams. The 49ers should do everything in their power to lock him up for a three- or four-year deal before free agency even begins. He’s one of the top five defensive tackles available, a rung down from the Muhammad Wilkersons of the world but more than solid in both the running and passing games.

After that, the 49ers will need some better play at the defensive end position, as everything dropped off when Justin Smith retired before last season.  Arik Armstead looked solid as a rookie, and the 49ers could opt to use some of their massive cap space to extend Tank Carradine’s contract while they have extra room. However, this is where the 49ers need to go outside the roster and splurge on a high-priced free agent.

Cedric Thornton, who played with Kelly in Philadelphia, could be a solid option, as would Malik Jackson from the Super Bowl champion Broncos. Expect the 49ers to be heavily involved in bidding for these players, though probably not so much that they’d go over $10 million a season.

To make room for a high-priced free agent, the 49ers could ask Glenn Dorsey to take a pay cut. As a backup to Ian Williams, his $2.8 million cap hit is a little hard to swallow.

This is a position very much in flux.

Next: Linebackers