2018 NFL free agency: Predicting which players the 49ers re-sign or let walk
By Peter Panacy
Wide Receiver Louis Murphy and Defensive Back Leon Hall
If the 49ers aren’t predicted to bring back safety Antone Exum, it’s also unlikely they bring back veteran defensive back Leon Hall either.
Hall, 33 years old, was the elder statesman of San Francisco’s secondary last year. His best days are long behind him, and the 49ers already have plenty of starting potential at the safety spot heading into 2018. Young veterans Jaquiski Tartt and Jimmie Ward are signed through this year, and seventh-round draftee Adrian Colbert had a promising finish.
It’s likely San Francisco focuses on youth here, meaning Hall’s chances of returning are slim at best.
Wide receiver Louis Murphy is a tougher question to answer, though.
Murphy hauled in quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo’s first touchdown pass in a Niners uniform — the only one Murhpy had over the course of the year. At 30 years old, he’s not a long-term fixture either. But question marks with San Francisco’s depth, behind obvious returnees Pierre Garçon, Marquise Goodwin and Trent Taylor, could open up a chance at a roster spot.
San Francisco likely takes a wait-and-see approach with Murphy. He’s learned the offense, which helps, but the Niners want to see what additions, if any, happen at the position this offseason.
Prediction: The 49ers let both Louis Murphy and Leon Hall walk, but Murphy’s chances of returning in 2018 are modest enough to say he comes back if he remains a free agent for a lengthy period of time.