Super Bowl 55: 4 free agents SF 49ers should watch for 2021
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: Fullback Anthony Sherman, Kansas City Chiefs
There’s a real chance San Francisco loses its starting fullback from the last four years, Kyle Juszczyk, to NFL free agency this offseason.
Juszczyk, who initially signed a four-year, $21 million deal back in 2017, can’t return on that kind of money given the relative lack of cap space the SF 49ers have. And it sure seemed during his final press conference after the 2020 season he was getting ready to bid farewell to the Niners after an impressive stint under Kyle Shanahan.
Unfortunately, there’s no one in the NFL ranks quite like Juszczyk, yet Shanahan’s offense needs someone of his ilk to get that side of the ball functioning fully.
A cheaper, halfway-decent option would be the Chiefs’ fullback, Anthony Sherman, who has somewhat seen his role diminish this year as Kansas City has explored more spread options for its own offense.
At 32 years old, Sherman wouldn’t necessarily have to be a long-term solution. But like Juszczyk, he’s more than able as a lead blocker and has offered some modest upsides in the receiving game earlier in his career.
If anything, he’d be much cheaper a replacement over Juszczyk, and that’s important.