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2020 NFL free agency: 3 low-profile players 49ers need to bring back

By Peter Panacy

GLENDALE, AZ - OCTOBER 28: Ronald Blair III #98 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates after sacking Josh Rosen #3 of the Arizona Cardinals during the game at State Farm Stadium on October 28, 2018 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cardinals defeated the 49ers 18-15. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ - OCTOBER 28: Ronald Blair III #98 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates after sacking Josh Rosen #3 of the Arizona Cardinals during the game at State Farm Stadium on October 28, 2018 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cardinals defeated the 49ers 18-15. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images) /
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Ronald Blair, 49ers
Ronald Blair #98 of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

No. 1: Defensive End Ronald Blair

One of the reasons why Anthony Zettel was brought aboard was to alleviate the loss of Ronald Blair, who suffered a season-ending ACL tear trying to sack Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson back in Week 10.

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At least Blair finished the sack, so that’s a positive.

Blair, who has served as a regular member of the defensive line’s rotation since 2016, hits free agency for the first time in his career, although his price tag should be notably lower having come off a serious injury.

While that injury could be something of concern to the 49ers, it’s hard to overlook just how important Blair was to the D-line’s rotation over the first half of the season. He’d typically hover between 30 and 50 percent of the team’s defensive snaps before the injury, and the ability to play a number of different positions within the defensive front made him a valuable commodity.

There were a number of other reasons, yes. But one could make a feasible argument the Niners D-line wasn’t quite as dominant as it was earlier in the year before Blair’s injury. Losing him meant two things: San Francisco had to rely on less-impactful backups to fill the void, and a lot of the starters ended up playing significantly more snaps than defensive coordinator Robert Saleh otherwise would have preferred.

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Unless the 49ers can either develop one of their younger linemen on the roster to replace Blair, or they find a solid replacement in the NFL Draft or free agency, retaining the 27 year old would seem to be a smart move.