SF 49ers free agency: 5 cheap players to target in 2021
By Peter Panacy
SF 49ers Free-Agent Target No. 3: Wide Receiver Donte Moncrief
Three years ago, veteran wide receiver Donte Moncrief would have been a wise addition to round out a still-questionable San Francisco pass-catching corps. But after Moncrief posted a respectable 2018 campaign with the Jacksonville Jaguars, he’s since fallen off the radar and has become little more than a back-end depth-chart commodity with the Panthers, Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots.
Still, the 6-foot-2 and 216-pound 27-year-old Moncrief still has something to offer a team like the SF 49ers.
Currently, the Niners have their two starters set with Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. But their No. 3 option, Kendrick Bourne, is an unrestricted free agent and may be too expensive to retain. Slot receiver Trent Taylor likely doesn’t come back, and San Francisco has yet to see any regular-season on-field production from their 2019 third-round NFL Draft pick, Jalen Hurd, because of injuries.
Moncrief is coming off a one-year, $910,000 deal with the Patriots having played in just six games with one reception for 15 yards.
It wouldn’t get any cheaper than that, and Moncrief would at least be worth a flier to help push the competition for the SF 49ers in training camp.