The San Francisco 49ers are in a great spot to build a winning team heading into 2018. Their decisions in NFL free agency this summer are crucial in setting the 49ers up to be contenders next year. Everyone is focused on who they should get, but who are the players to avoid in the 2018 free-agent class?
The San Francisco 49ers front office has plenty of money to spend this offseason. They need to make the correct moves to set this promising young team up for success.
There are a few key holes that need to be filled and a myriad of possibilities on what players could fill them. Making the wrong decisions this offseason could cripple this teams solid development.
Players need to fit into the system correctly, be quality character players, and most importantly, perform well on the field. Not every free agent fits this criteria and extensive research is necessary on each possible future 49er.
San Francisco 49ers
Fans love seeing the big-name, flashy signing until they backfire. Acquiring two or three lesser-known players that fit the team better will lead to more wins in 2018.
Ultimately, that is what fans really want to see.
There are five players that the San Francisco 49ers need to avoid in this year’s NFL free agency class. The 49ers are certainly going to be active this offseason, but these players are not needed to help them win moving forward.
No. 1: DT Sheldon Richardson
Sheldon Richardson is near the top of this year’s defensive free agents, but he should be nowhere near the 49ers’ radar this summer. Giving Richardson the big deal he will be asking for would be catastrophic.
Before even looking at Richardson on the field, we need to speak about his off-the-field struggles. Richardson has been suspended multiple times by the league including a four-game suspension back in 2014 when he played for the New York Jets. He was also ejected from a game this season against Jacksonville for getting into a brawl as time expired. His attitude and past suspensions alone should deter the 49ers brass from even considering Richardson.
On top of his off-the-field issues, Richardson’s play has also declined over the past few seasons. He has 2.5 sacks in the past two years combined. As a comparison, in his first three seasons in the NFL he recorded 16.5 sacks. Richardson is no longer the Pro Bowler he once was with the Jets.
There are few other top-notch defensive tackles hitting NFL free agency this offseason, so Richardson is in a good spot being one of the best available. Several teams will be willing to overpay for Richardson because of this, but the 49ers shouldn’t be one of them.
There are far better and cheaper options to choose from in this year’s draft and currently on the roster. San Francisco needs to stand pat at defensive tackle and build up their defense at other positions through free agency in 2018.
No. 2: WR Sammy Watkins
The San Francisco 49ers are definitely going to be in the market for a big-play receiver this offseason. There are many options in the draft, but there are also quite a few receivers hitting NFL free agency this year. One of those players is Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Sammy Watkins.
The Rams traded for Watkins to be their No. 1 wide receiver and help young quarterback Jared Goff develop. That didn’t happen. Instead it was receiver Robert Woods and rookie receiver Cooper Kupp helping Goff succeed in 2017. Watkins was a non-factor for most of the season. The 49ers need not look further than his stats to see this.
Watkins came into the NFL with the Buffalo Bills with incredible hype and he showed glimpses of that potential in Buffalo. That potential made the Rams eager to jump, but the 49ers should stay away.
Watkins has not had a 1,000-yard season since 2015 and has been dealing with nagging injuries his entire career. Last season, playing in the most explosive offense in the NFL, Watkins failed to reach 600 yards. That put him behind players like Adam Humphries, Vernon Davis and Christian McCaffrey in receiving yards for 2017.
Watkins is not a No. 1 receiver anymore. The problem is that someone is going to see his athleticism and size and pay him big this offseason. San Francisco can not afford to throw money at a player who is not producing on the field like Sammy Watkins.
No. 3: TE Tyler Eifert
The main mission for general manager John Lynch and the 49ers front office this offseason needs to be surrounding quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo with playmakers. One position they may look to improve on is tight end. A good tight end is every quarterback’s best friend and security blanket in an offense. The most highly sought-after tight end in this free-agent class will be Cincinnati’s Tyler Eifert.
Everyone in the NFL knows how good Eifert can be, but he hasn’t been on the field to prove it. Eifert has only played 39 games in five seasons. Out of those five seasons he has never played a full 16 games. He was destined to be one of the best tight ends in football, but injuries have seriously derailed his career.
Just like in the case of Sammy Watkins, many people are going to want to look back at Eifert’s suceess and hope he can reclaim it, but it’s gone. Tight end is one of the most physically demanding positions to play. Eifert’s body has shown it can not hold up.
The 49ers may not need to look any further than their current roster for a solution at tight end. George Kittle did not light the world on fire in his rookie campaign, but he showed some real potential. We have already seen Garoppolo get the best out of every player he plays with. The same might be the case for Kittle.
If this were the Eifert of 2015, I would have given him whatever amount of money he asked for, but not in 2017. The 49ers are looking to build a winning team that can compete for years to come, and Eifert can not be counted on to be a part of that.
Roll into 2018 with Kittle as your starter at tight end and, perhaps, draft another player with promise in the later rounds to develop. It is tempting to try to find that security blanket tight end for Garoppolo right now like Philadelphia has for Carson Wentz in Zach Ertz, but that player isn’t available this year’s free-agent class.
No. 4: WR Mike Wallace
Every team in the NFL is interested in a player that can run a 4.40 40-yard dash. Mike Wallace was known as one of the fastest players in the league at one point and is still quick as a veteran. However, he is not worth a second glance from the 49ers this offseason.
Wallace possesses a ton of characteristics that will make him valuable on the open market. He is a proven veteran, who can groom other young wide receivers. Wallace has won before and knows what it takes to win. Most importantly, Wallace still has some of that speed that made him so dangerous for so many years.
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With all that being said, Wallace is not a fit for the 49ers at all. Every role Wallace fills is already in San Francisco. Pierre Garcon is the veteran winner that can teach a young receiver like Kendrick Bourne how to play the game correctly. And the 49ers happen to have Marquise Goodwin, who is one of the fastest playmakers in the NFL.
Wallace had a career resurrection in Baltimore after a few tough years in Miami, but he is at the tail end of that career now. Many speed receivers’ careers are short lived, but Wallace has been able to carve out a lengthy nine-year career.
San Francisco needs to add a legitimate No. 1 receiver. Right now their receiving group is all role players. Every winning team has one guy on the outside who can make big plays consistently. The 49ers need that.
Wallace is a solid player, but he is not a No. 1 receiver.
No. 5: CB Bashaud Breeland
There are many teams who are in need of top-flight cornerbacks this offseason, including San Francisco. Adding a shutdown corner would open up the defense to do more blitzing and take pressure off of the rest of the defense to play perfect. There are a few options at cornerback in NFL free agency, but one to avoid is Bashaud Breeland.
Breeland was a very serviceable second corner for the Redskins playing alongside Josh Norman, but he is not a shutdown defender. Breeland struggled mightily before Norman arrived to Washington. His lack of size or elite speed make him venerable when going up against top wide receivers.
Breeland is not going to be able to cover a player like Julio Jones, at 6-foot-3, for a full 80 plays on defense. He is much more suited to being a No. 2 or a slot corner in this league. However, his stats and play over the past two seasons will have him as a No. 1 corner somewhere come 2018.
Next: 2018 NFL Draft: 5 prospects the 49ers should watch at the Senior Bowl
San Francisco cannot go with an unproven No. 1 corner this offseason. Many people are talking about the offense John Lynch needs to add, but adding a top corner could quickly transform this team. There are better options that Breeland available. Malcolm Butler of the Patriots and Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson are both better choices this offseason.
Both have proven they can stop the NFL’s best wide receivers, week in and week out, and help the 49ers win football games in 2018.