Niner Noise
FanSided

San Francisco 49ers: Previewing 2019 free-agent market at edge rusher

By Peter Panacy

PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 29: C.J. Beathard #3 of the San Francisco 49ers passes under pressure from Brandon Graham #55 of the Philadelphia Eagles in the second half on October 29, 2017 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 29: C.J. Beathard #3 of the San Francisco 49ers passes under pressure from Brandon Graham #55 of the Philadelphia Eagles in the second half on October 29, 2017 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 6
Next
GLENDALE, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 09: Ezekiel Ansah #94 of the Detroit Lions reacts on the bench during the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on December 09, 2018 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 09: Ezekiel Ansah #94 of the Detroit Lions reacts on the bench during the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on December 09, 2018 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images) /

No. 4: Ezekiel Ansah, Detroit Lions

Another option the 49ers could look at on the free-agent market this offseason is Detroit Lions EDGE Ezekiel Ansah, who has familiarity with Niners assistant coach Kris Kocurek during their combined tenure in Detroit.

Ansah has his risks, injuries being a key problem. He landed on injured reserve last year after playing in just seven games. And it certainly would appear the Lions have no interest in re-signing Ansah after placing the franchise tag on him for 2018.

He’ll likely hit the open market this offseason, which could be enough to convince San Francisco to take something of a mid-risk, possibly high-reward flier on the soon-to-be 30 year old.

The hope, of course, would be Ansah avoiding injury and coming close to his 12-sack campaign of 2017 — the kind of effort that convinced Detroit to use the franchise tag in the first place. Yet Ansah is a streaky player with more than a few up-and-down seasons. And even though various injuries will lessen his price tag a bit, he’d still likely command a good chunk of change when free agency hits.

Still, if it’s a manageable short-term contract, Ansah joining San Francisco in 2019 wouldn’t be out of the question.