Former GM Trent Baalke’s legacy with the 49ers fading fast
By Peter Panacy
This offseason, the San Francisco 49ers are poised to turn the page on more high-profile NFL Draft picks from ex-general manager Trent Baalke, whose legacy with the team is quickly evaporating.
San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch wasted little time clearing out the barren roster wasteland left behind after the team fired former GM Trent Baalke a year ago in January of 2017.
In doing so, Lynch turned over more than 70 percent of Baalke’s then roster.
Heading into the 2018 offseason, even more of Baalke’s player selections are slated to depart. Some high-profile names too.
San Francisco 49ers
Safety Eric Reid and running back Carlos Hyde are free agents. Reid, who was Baalke’s first pick back in Round 1 of the 2013 NFL Draft, doesn’t appear likely to return. Neither does Hyde, who’ll likely be replaced by a younger, cheaper option in what looks like a deep crop of prospective tailbacks in the draft.
Dontae Johnson, selected by Baalke in Round 4 back in 2014, finished as Pro Football Focus‘ 119th-ranked cornerback out of 121 qualifiers.
He’ll be gone to free agency too.
Just like that, three of the more-hopeful Baalke-era picks won’t be in Niners uniforms any longer. And with each departure, Baalke’s infamous legacy with the 49ers decreases.
We don’t need to slam Baalke anymore than we already have. But it’s worth pointing out how much a different direction Lynch has pointed the team.
That direction could also push other Baalke picks out of the picture sooner than later.
Offensive lineman Zane Beadles (free agency, 2016), linebacker Eli Harold (Round 3, 2015), offensive guard Joshua Garnett (Round 1, 2016), safety Jimmie Ward (Round 1, 2014) and defensive end Arik Armstead (Round 1, 2015) all made Niner Noise’s list of players possibly on the roster bubble this upcoming season.
There are reasons for each not to be back this year. In almost every case, Lynch and the Niners simply have better options at each position. For others, injuries and underperformance mandate a change.
Assuming each of the aforementioned players isn’t back in 2018, that would leave only a handful of players Baalke brought into the franchise.
Sure, Baalke landed a couple of great picks. Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner (Round 1, 2016) finished 2017 as PFF’s sixth-ranked interior defender. Denver Broncos Pro Bowl EDGE Von Miller tabbed right tackle Trent Brown (Round 7, 2015) the “best right tackle in the NFL.”
And safety Jaquiski Tartt (Round 2, 2015) is finally starting to look like a high-impact defensive back.
Still, there are far more misses from Baalke over the past few seasons. Few of them survived the initial changes Lynch ushered in.
Next: Top 20 NFL Draft picks from the Trent Baalke era
There will be even less when Week 1 of the 2018 season rolls around.