5 pending free agents SF 49ers should watch this postseason

The SF 49ers aren’t in the playoffs, but that shouldn’t prevent them from looking at other teams’ pending free agents who are in the dance.

If there’s a good thing about the SF 49ers not being in the postseason, it’s general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan can get a head start on taking a look towards how to formulate their 2021 roster.

That roster could look vastly different next season, especially considering the fact the Niners have 40 pending free agents of one variety or another and a limited amount of cap space, at least currently, to attack NFL free agency at the start of the league new year.

Still, it can be crucial to see how some players perform when the pressure is at its most. That’s what makes the playoffs so exciting.

And it offers Lynch, Shanahan and their scouts a great chance to see if there are players San Francisco might consider adding when free agency kicks off this spring.

Here are five who’d be worth looking at closely.

No. 5: Fullback Anthony Sherman, Kansas City Chiefs

There’s a very real chance the SF 49ers lose their four-time Pro Bowl fullback, Kyle Juszczyk, to free agency this offseason. Considering the necessity of a seldom-used position in the league, Shanahan might be hard-pressed finding an adequate replacement.

Yet he could be interested in a player who helped beat the Niners back in Super Bowl LIV, Kansas City Chiefs fullback Anthony Sherman.

Kansas City is going to have its own cap problems in 2021 and beyond, meaning the 32-year-old Sherman might not necessarily be a top candidate for keeping around once he hits the open market.

While Sherman is nowhere near the same kind of lead blocker and offensive weapon Juszczyk is, the former does have a stat sheet impressive enough to suggest he can offer up a unique skill set in Shanahan’s offense.

Experience, too, which might make the possible loss of Juszczyk more bearable at a much lower price tag.