NFL free agency is close to officially beginning, and the San Francisco 49ers are being linked to a few big names in the wake of their impressive finish to the season and sizable cap space. Here we look at some names for the red and gold.
It’s safe to say that this is one of the most exciting periods for the San Francisco 49ers in many years.
After years of infighting, failed draft picks, incompetent leadership off the field and incompetent play on it, there is now a level of optimism for all 49ers fans who now eagerly await to see which players will come over to the Bay Area to play for the team.
Of course even with the money the 49ers have to spend (slightly south of $70,000,000 at $68,989,382 according to Over The Cap), they can’t sign every single big-name player fans and analysts link to the team.
So here are some under-the-radar options to consider in NFL free agency, players who fill a need and (mostly) won’t break the bank while providing (hopefully) some competent play for the 49ers.
5. Gerald Hodges, Linebacker
Who’s up for a little reunion?
As fans may remember, Gerald Hodges was himself a 49er for two seasons after being traded by the Minnesota Vikings. He’s best remembered for being a serviceable replacement for former 49er Michael Wilhoite, performing well in a defense that had few bright spots in it at the time.
However, subsequent seasons with the Buffalo Bills and New Orleans Saints have not been as productive.
In the wake of the Reuben Foster saga where, at worst, he’ll be released and, at best, probably will serve a lengthy suspension, some depth is desperately needed at linebacker.
It’s not the same defense he looks promising in before, but Hodges has proven himself a safe hand being thrown into the deep end once before. And with his inability to stick with the Bills or Saints, he can be picked up as very cheap but very dependable depth at a position filled with uncertainty for next season.
4. Alfred Morris, Running Back
It is going to be very interesting to see what the 49ers decide to do at running back for the upcoming season, I can literally think of five questions off the top of my head.
More from SF 49ers Free Agency
- Former 49ers kicker Robbie Gould still wants to play for Bears
- 49ers bolster wide receiver room by grabbing Chris Conley
- 49ers news: Kerry Hyder is back to bolster defensive line depth
- Low-risk free agents 49ers can still target before NFL Draft
- 49ers aren’t talking to this free agent (but they should)
Will Carlos Hyde return? Will the 49ers chase a big name like Le’Veon Bell or Dion Lewis? Will the 49ers decide Saquon Barkley is worth the price of trading? Can Matt Breida be a starter at the pro level? Can injured rookie Joe Williams come back and repay the faith shown in him?
How about none of the above, and instead the 49ers sign a promising back under the radar?
Alfred Morris isn’t lighting up the league like he once did with the Washington Redskins. But this past season with the Dallas Cowboys, he proved he isn’t quite done. In limited action, he ran for 547 yards at 4.8 yards a carry and for one touchdown.
Signing Morris will require a lot of faith in Breida and whoever the third back in the rotation will be. But Morris has the potential to be a great piece of the puzzle for the 49ers, whether it’s as a starter or a rotational player.
3. Julius Peppers, Defensive End
This one might seem weird at first, why sign a guy clearly at the end of this career when the team is still technically in a rebuild?, but just hear me out.
The 49ers have a very promising defensive line, full of first round picks. If Arik Armstead and Solomon Thomas reach their full potentials, like DeForest Buckner is currently in the process of doing, it would be the a very scary defensive trio in the trenches.
There is precedent for this, the Elvis Dumervil experiment for the 49ers has been a reasonable success. He’s provided veteran leadership to a young team and led the sack count for all 49ers with 6.5 for the season.
The issue is 6.5 sacks is much, much less than what a team should be seeing from its sack leader.
Julius Peppers seems ageless. Being used mostly on passing downs, he still notched an amazing 11 sacks. The 49ers need someone to take the career of Armstead and Thomas to that next level while being a force on the field, and Peppers fits that role.
He doesn’t have to do much, just be a mentor to the young guys on the team and then the 49ers coaching staff sic him onto the quarterback.
It’s a role he’d fill well.
2. T.J. Carrie, Cornerback
We’ve seen before that the 49ers are going to be looking closely at all cornerbacks during NFL free agency, in an attempt to upgrade the position across from Ahkello Witherspoon, but strangely enough few people are talking about T.J. Carrie.
More from Niner Noise
- 49ers 2023 NFL Draft tracker: Pick-by-pick news and analysis
- Predicting 49ers NFL Draft picks by looking at final mocks
- DraftKings NFL Draft Promo – Win $150 Guaranteed on Any $5 Bet
- 2023 NFL Draft: EDGE Byron Young could be impact player for 49ers
- 5 low-key NFL Draft options for 49ers who are flying under the radar
Carrie played well this past season, Pro Football focus gave him a score of 84.3, enough to put him into the above-average category and 21st for all cornerbacks in the NFL. He didn’t record an interception but had 70 tackles and broke up nine passes this season.
Carrie seems an ideal piece for the 49ers. He isn’t going to fetch a huge price on the open market, but he is a good enough player to be a dependable starter for the team.
1. Sheldon Richardson, Defensive Tackle
Surprisingly, I have seen precious little linking Sheldon Richardson to the 49ers, which is surprisingly because of how much sense it makes. So for that reason I’m counting this as under the radar for NFL free agency.
Earl Mitchell was given a deal to the end of 2021, but played poorly for the 49ers. He was rated poor by Pro Football Focus with a score of 56.8. While it would be unfair to pin the 49ers defensive struggles solely, or even mostly on him, he still looks more a solid backup than a starter for the 49ers.
Richardson, however, can be the final cog in a stacked defensive line for the 49ers.
He didn’t set the world on fire with the Seattle Seahawks after his trade, but did enough to get an above-average score of 83.8. He’s a much better player than that, though, and could be the veteran presence the defensive line definitely needs.
Tallying 44 tackles with one sack, a pass deflection and one interception with the Seahawks, Richardson can be the disruptive interior force to pair with DeForest Buckner. It’s fun to envision them both making it very hard for teams to run in the trenches, while being a force on passing plays.
Next: San Francisco 49ers: Creating the ideal starting lineup for 2018
The scary thing is Richardson is only 27 years old, so he can be not just a stopgap but an answer at the position despite being a veteran. It’s a route the 49ers should definitely consider, as it would make the defensive line one of the most exciting in all of the NFL.