49ers should pursue safety Glover Quin this offseason

With his recent release from the Detroit Lions, Niner Noise shows why the San Francisco 49ers should pursue safety Glover Quin, no matter their other moves.

If there was one position the San Francisco 49ers needed as many players as possible in 2018, it was at safety.

After not re-signing Eric Reid, the Niners saw injuries to starters Jaquiski Tartt and Adrian Colbert, as well as key backup Jimmie Ward. The starters by the end of the season were Antone Exum and Marcell Harris. The veteran, Exum, who had been cut at the start of the season and a rookie, Harris, are not expected to play any starting minutes this year barring injury.

The 49ers lost many minutes at the safety spot, which is why they should look into signing safety Glover Quin. Quin was recently released by the Detroit Lions to save money on the cap. For the San Francisco, that should not be an issue.

Quin did not have a good season last year. Pro Football Focus gave him a 66.1 grade, while he had no forced fumbles and no interceptions. For a team like the 49ers, which only had two interceptions the entire year, that doesn’t seem to be the right edition.

Yet Quin makes perfect sense for this team. For starters, Quin does not miss games. He played every game for every season except his rookie season. That is something remarkable, and something the 49ers could definitely use.

Next, Quin had a phenomenal season only two years ago. He finished with a 90.6 grade in the 2017 season and had three interceptions with four forced fumbles. Father Time is undefeated, but for a team with needs like the Niners, signing Quin is always worth the risk.

On the plus side, if Quin regains his form, then you get plays like this:

https://twitter.com/lions/status/954062560214466560

And finally, Quin will not cost that much, nor does he stop the 49ers from doing any other moves. From Over the Cap (h/t Rob Lowder of Niners Nation), they should have $68 million in cap space.

Since Quin was cut with a $8 million salary, you can expect him to receive a modest salary of maybe $5 million. That still allows the 49ers to sign Seattle Seahawks pending free-agent safety Earl Thomas, and sign whoever else they need to, as our own Peter Panacy wrote about.

If the Niners sign Quin, it helps them out no matter what. Should they sign Thomas, Quin becomes the perfect backup and a mismatch to use. If Thomas does not sign with the 49ers, then Quin can step in and give Colbert a run for his money and probably teach Colbert some tricks.

Now, the Niners could resign Ward instead, which offers them a bit more versatility and youth. But with Quin on the market, they have multiple options at hand.