NFL free agency: 3 players who should be on 49ers radar in 2020

No. 2: Safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix

Unlike cornerback, the 49ers have a significant free-agent decision to make at safety.

Free safety Jimmie Ward, whom Pro Football Focus ranked the No. 6 overall safety in 2019, is set to cash in on the biggest contract of his career after his previous season-to-season efforts were largely marked by inconsistency and injury.

Ward helped solidify a Niners secondary, which ended up allowing the fewest pass yards in the NFL over the course of the season. John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan have been enamored with Ward ever since they took over the team in 2017, and it seems as if they’ll make a strong push to re-sign him this offseason.

But Ward’s production last year could easily push him out of San Francisco’s price range. According to Over the Cap, Ward’s contractual value in 2019 was at $4.588 million. But PFF also suggested Ward could command north of $8 million annually on the open market after a career-best year.

Interestingly enough, PFF cited Chicago Bears safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix as a likable replacement, should Ward wind up being too expensive for the 49ers’ liking.

Clinton-Dix, 27 years old, still has youth on his side. And he also boasts one element Ward hasn’t enjoyed over his career: health. Ever since joining the Green Bay Packers in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft, Clinton-Dix has appeared in every regular-season game eligible through last year.

Should Ward walk, Clinton-Dix could feasibly cost the Niners about a million less than the estimated $8 million asking price Ward could likely get.

Because of that, Clinton-Dix should be on San Francisco’s radar.