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NFL Free Agency: 5 Realistic Free Agents the San Francisco 49ers Should Target in 2016

By Peter Panacy

Nov 16, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Marvin Jones (82) against the Houston Texans at Paul Brown Stadium. The Texans won 10-6. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 16, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Marvin Jones (82) against the Houston Texans at Paul Brown Stadium. The Texans won 10-6. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 18, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Sean Smith (21) against the Minnesota Vikings at TCF Bank Stadium. The Vikings defeated the Chiefs 16-10. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 18, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Sean Smith (21) against the Minnesota Vikings at TCF Bank Stadium. The Vikings defeated the Chiefs 16-10. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports /

Cornerback Sean Smith

2015 Statistics

2015 Salary: $7,000,000

The 49ers have plenty of areas they may want to splurge on this offseason. And the secondary may not exactly be one of those given San Francisco already has defensive backs Tramaine Brock, Kenneth Acker, Keith Reaser and Dontae Johnson competing for the cornerback depth chart.

But the problem is that none of the aforementioned names are truly No. 1 corners. Brock has assumed that role for now but seems to be a better No. 2 option. The rest, while young and developing, haven’t exactly separated themselves from anyone else in the pack.

So targeting Kansas City Chiefs corner Sean Smith actually does seem like a good idea — especially if the Niners look to use their draft picks to address the offense and defensive front seven.

Smith won’t come cheap after his 2015 campaign. And the 6’2″, 215-pound corner may be one of the most sought-after free agents this offseason.

Does this make the 49ers targeting him a realistic option.

Absolutely when considering general manager Trent Baalke’s like for big-bodied defensive backs. And, at 28 years old, Smith is right at the prime of his pro career.

This could be the case where San Francisco breaks out the pocketbooks and looks to build up this area in free agency.

And it would be worth the cost.

Next: NT Ian Williams