SF 49ers: 5 players who could be surprise cuts this offseason
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: SF 49ers EDGE Dee Ford
Like Weston Richburg, EDGE Dee Ford‘s tenure with the SF 49ers has been marked more by injury than anything else.
Injuries limited the player for whom the Niners dished out a second-round pick in 2019 to just 22 percent of defensive snaps in 2019. This, despite San Francisco extending Ford to a massive five-year, $85 million deal that accounts for 3.1 percent of the team’s cap this season.
Speaking of this season, Ford saw just one week of action before landing on injured reserve with a back injury.
He hasn’t returned to the field, and there’s a very real chance he doesn’t return by Week 17.
Moving on from Ford won’t be easy, and the lack of other pass-rushers on the roster make it less plausible a scenario. Ford is scheduled to make close to $21 million next season. As is the case with Richburg, though, waiting until June 1 would free up $16 million in cap space with $4.8 million in dead money.
That’s much more workable, especially if Ford doesn’t look like he’ll be a long-term fixture because of his injury history.