Niner Noise
FanSided

3 cap casualties the 49ers should try signing in 2020

By Akshaj Dwivedula

SANTA CLARA, CA - NOVEMBER 08: Shaun Draughn #24 of the San Francisco 49ers gets tackled by Desmond Trufant #21 of the Atlanta Falcons during the first quarter of their NFL football game at Levi's Stadium on November 8, 2015 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - NOVEMBER 08: Shaun Draughn #24 of the San Francisco 49ers gets tackled by Desmond Trufant #21 of the Atlanta Falcons during the first quarter of their NFL football game at Levi's Stadium on November 8, 2015 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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Delanie Walker #82 of the Tennessee Titans (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
Delanie Walker #82 of the Tennessee Titans (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

With cap space freed up from moves at the start of free agency, the 49ers now have some flexibility. Niner Noise looks at three cheap veterans that could provide big benefits.

Trading away defensive tackle DeForest Buckner was not an easy decision for the San Francisco 49ers on a pure-talent basis. However, the trade provided instant cap relief in the form of $12 million, giving the Niners an opportunity to be a minor player in the overall free-agent market.

Then, details of defensive end Arik Armstead‘s contract came out, backloading the deal to reduce his 2020 cap hit to a paltry $5.5 million. Added with the recent deal of safety Jimmie Ward, which also backloaded money and the restructuring of running back Jerick Mckinnon‘s contract, the 49ers now have built an opportunity to go “dumpster-diving” into the market.

By dumpster-diving, I’m talking about hitting the bottom of the market, players who, for some reason or the other, have entered the market as buy-low candidates. Typically, they are players released by their former teams because of injuries or sometimes cap considerations.

In any case, typically their age and/or other concerns can make them bargains to the right team.

As I mentioned when talking about the impact of the new CBA, contending teams often need to fill their roster on the margins. The 49ers have many of their pieces in place already; moves now aren’t to fill gaping holes but rather make incremental improvements that potentially could spring big. Signing low-price veterans often offers a solution to that issue.

Although the 49ers have some cap space in hand, they can realistically only sign one low-price veteran once the NFL Draft and their own free agents are taken into account.

Here are three potential options for them, should the market fall that way. This entire exercise doesn’t take into account the draft simply because I have no clue what way the 49ers are leaning with their selections.