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5 Players the 49ers Should Still Target in Free Agency

By Jerod Brown

January 20, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Workers apply decals to the exterior of Levi
January 20, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Workers apply decals to the exterior of Levi /
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Feb 25, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; General view of NFL Wilson football and NFL shield logo helmet at the peristyle end of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Coliseum will serve as the home of the Los Angeles Rams for the 2016 season after NFL owners voted 30-2 to allow Rams owner Stan Kroenke (not pictured) to relocate the franchise from St. Louis. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 25, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; General view of NFL Wilson football and NFL shield logo helmet at the peristyle end of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Coliseum will serve as the home of the Los Angeles Rams for the 2016 season after NFL owners voted 30-2 to allow Rams owner Stan Kroenke (not pictured) to relocate the franchise from St. Louis. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

Final Thoughts

The 49ers have spent the beginning of free agency re-signing players in their system and remaining quiet in the bidding wars for other players. Although the team was rumored to have interest in many players on the market, the result is that the team’s makeup is mainly unchanged.

The contributors at Niner Noise have continued to offer our analysis of the moves that the 49ers are making to rebuild the roster for 2016. Many more moves are sure to come from now until training camp begins as the 49ers start to finalize the 90-man roster that they’ll begin camp with.

As general manager Trent Baalke examines the free agents available throughout the league, he’ll have to weigh the potential impact of players versus the price of bringing them in.

The 49ers may not sign any of these players. But each option presents an opportunity for the 49ers to address a need on the team with one of the best available players on the market.

As Matt Miller mentioned, the 49ers are probably preparing to build through the draft. They have 12 picks to do so and can take risks to add at least seven or eight dynamic players to the team. The 49ers need it. As easy as it is to predict who might be available when the 49ers make their first selection, the real test comes when Baalke attempts to find value in the late rounds.

The 49ers do not have time for any redshirt players to sit for a season and heal. They do not have time to ask prospects to make dramatic weight and positional changes. The team needs players that are ready to contribute from the moment they enter the room.

The benefit to signing free agents is that you are relatively sure of what you are getting. The draft, however, is not so clear cut. As the 49ers attempt to fix a broken roster, they would be wise to target Geoff Schwartz, Anquan Boldin, Aldon Smith, Leon Hall and Dwight Freeney to bring proven commodities to Santa Clara.

Next: Grading 49ers Actions in Free Agency

All statistics, records and accolades courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com and ESPN Statistics unless otherwise indicated. All salary cap figures and approximations courtesy of OverTheCap.com unless otherwise indicated.