San Francisco 49ers: ‘Keep or Cut’ Calls on 10 Notable Players for 2017
By Peter Panacy
No. 5: Safety Antoine Bethea
Like cornerback, the 49ers have a good deal of depth at safety.
Alongside veteran safety Antoine Bethea, who led the Niners with 95 tackles last year, San Francisco has Eric Reid, Jaquiski Tartt and even Jimmie Ward, who could easily move from the corner position.
And that’s what San Francisco should do.
Ward is equipped to be a free safety — a center fielder, of sorts. This would push either Reid and/or Tartt into a strong safety role. But it means Bethea is out of the picture.
At 32 years old, it’s clear Bethea’s NFL career is winding to a close. He has just one more year remaining on his current contract, and cutting him would save $5.75 million in cap space.
Plus, it would allow younger players within the secondary to step up and fill solidified roles for the next few years, especially Ward and Tartt.