Niner Noise
FanSided

3 players 49ers should have signed in 2020 NFL free agency

By Peter Panacy

TAMPA, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 08: Ndamukong Suh #93 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers takes the field during a game against the San Francisco 49ers at Raymond James Stadium on September 08, 2019 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 08: Ndamukong Suh #93 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers takes the field during a game against the San Francisco 49ers at Raymond James Stadium on September 08, 2019 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
Breshad Perriman, Buccaneers
Breshad Perriman #19 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images) /

No. 2: Wide Receiver Breshad Perriman

Perhaps Kyle Shanahan wanted someone familiar with his offensive system and with a bit more veteran savvy, which is why the Niners brought aboard Travis Benjamin to bolster a questionable wide receiver corps in 2020.

But the 5-foot-11 Benjamin, who has dealt with injuries as of late, looks a lot like the other short-statured wide receivers on San Francisco’s roster.

And if speed was a part of the equation, perhaps the 49ers would have been better off going after former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout Breshad Perriman, who signed a one-year deal with the New York Jets for up to $8 million.

Perriman, who is both younger and has just as much speed to burn as Benjamin, had issues with drops early in his career. But the past two seasons have been productive, and Perriman would have been much bigger a threat than Benjamin, who hasn’t been much of a factor the last two years when he was with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Again, price might have been the key factor here. But Perriman could have been an excellent deep-threat weapon to stretch the field, and he seems to be on the ascent, whereas Benjamin is much more of a reclamation project.