Jimmy Garoppolo is locked in as the San Francisco 49ers quarterback, but he can’t transform the franchise alone. Here are five free agents that can assist him to become the elite signal-caller the fans and team think he can be.
For fans everywhere of the red and gold, the free agency and NFL Draft period cannot come quickly enough.
Even the players are so eager they’ve been courting free agents themselves to come and join a young San Francisco 49ers team full of optimism and confidence.
The offense has been impressive under quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, but that doesn’t mean the 49ers can’t find more help for him.
So here’s five players that should, at the very least, be on the 49ers mind.
No. 5: Paul Richardson, Wide Receiver, Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks’ Paul Richardson seems to tick a lot of boxes. He’s only 25 years old, showed some serious potential, catching 44 passes for 703 yards and six touchdowns this season, and he won’t break the bank for the 49ers to nab him.
Not to mention, it’s fun to imagine using him against the Seahawks.
His one downside is he’s not quite tall enough to be the physically imposing receiver the 49ers are missing from their wide receiver corps, but he knows how to find the end zone, which can only help to help Jimmy Garoppolo next season.
No. 4: Ryan Jensen, Center, Baltimore Ravens
Sometimes, players just fall under the radar. Baltimore Ravens center Ryan Jensen is one of those players.
Jensen is a top-10 center, at least according to Pro Football Focus. Ranked ninth, Jensen would be an upgrade over incumbent Daniel Kilgore (who ranked 23rd for all centers).
But it’s more than just upgrading, Jensen would be a terrific teammate. As proof, take a look at this video:
To summarize: Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco takes a late and dirty hit after sliding from Miami Dolphins linebacker Kiko Alonso, who absolutely flattens Flacco into the turf.
Jensen is the first one to fly the flag for Flacco, going right for Alonso to let him know very closely and very physically what he thinks of the hit. It’s a strong leadership quality, and a locker room can never have too many high quality guys.
I’ve been an advocate for drafting Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson, and I’ve said before about how the interior line is of the utmost urgency as well, and this continues the theme of giving Jimmy Garoppolo superior blocking to lessen the risk of seeing him flattened into the turf.
No. 3: Allen Robinson, Wide Receiver, Jacksonville Jaguars
Until he signs a contract with the 49ers, Jaguars or any other team we will be seeing a lot of rumors about the 49ers pursuing wide receiver Allen Robinson.
It’s not difficult to see why.
Discounting last season due to injury, Robinson has stats of 201 catches for 2,831 yards and 22 touchdowns in his three seasons with the Jaguars, who were not the playoff team in those years that they were this season.
Robinson probably still will command a high price, just based on his production prior to injury, but it’ll still be lower (unless a bidding war breaks out) that it normally would be to recruit a player of that caliber.
No. 2: Andrew Norwell, Guard, Carolina Panthers
I’ve already said in the Ryan Jensen slide about why recruiting interior linemen is of utmost importance to help Jimmy Garoppolo, so I’ll just add this:
Andrew Norwell is simply awesome.
Rated the third best guard in NFL by Pro Football Focus, Norwell is dominant in both pass and rush protection. He has no weaknesses, and even though guard isn’t the sexiest position in football, he’s earned a large contract and would be worth every penny to bring him to the Bay Area.
Not much else to say, Norwell is exactly the sort of player that needs to be pursued.
No. 1: Le’Veon Bell, Running Back, Pittsburgh Steelers
Yeah, I’m going to get some real interesting comments on this one.
It’s only fair to get the negatives out of the way. Yes, he acted like a prima donna last year and he’s acting like a prima donna now. Yes, the 49ers already have a talented player not exactly impressing people off the field. And yes, running back Le’Veon Bell is going to cost an insane amount of money (for the Jets at least).
But my goodness, is there a better weapon for any quarterback in the NFL?
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He’s a great runner, we all know that. He currently averages 4.3 yards per carry in his career, which it should be noted is dragged down by a 3.5-yard average his rookie season. He’s not had the best season this year, going at 4.0 yards a carry for 1,291 yards and nine touchdowns, but that’s sort of the point. This was a down year (in averages if not for yard and touchdown totals) for him!
More importantly is his role as a receiver. Bell caught 85 passes for 655 yards and two touchdowns, none of which were career best totals. If used correctly, Bell can be the ultimate weapon for Jimmy Garoppolo.
Yes, it’s a risk and a very rich one at that. Yes, he’s not going to be the most popular acquisition in 49er history. But the fact is football players like Bell do not come on the market very often.
Next: Jimmy Garoppolo: 3 bold predictions for 49ers quarterback in 2018
Sometimes you have to grit your teeth and swing for the fences. Bell carries some problems that will turn a lot of people off, but for me the reward is simply far too impressive to the point I’m willing to make the following statement:
The Garoppolo-Bell pairing would be the best QB-RB tandem in 49ers history that did not wear Nos. 16 and 33.
Super Bowls aren’t won without risk, and this is a risk worth taking.