49ers: 4 players who could be cut before playing a snap in 2021
By Peter Panacy
No. 3: 49ers Linebacker Nathan Gerry
No, it doesn’t appear as if the Niners are overly committed to giving veteran linebacker Nathan Gerry much of a chance to resurrect his career after struggling in pass coverage with the Philadelphia Eagles the last four years.
True, Gerry was primarily a special teams contributor before being asked to assume a bigger role on defense in 2019 when he started 12 games. And while San Francisco can benefit from Gerry’s special teams prowess, other subsequent moves following the 26 year old’s free-agent add early during the offseason suggest he won’t be around by the time the 53-man roster is announced.
The 49ers signed two undrafted rookie linebackers, Kansas State’s Elijah Sullivan and Ohio State’s Justin Hilliard, before also bringing aboard another veteran, James Burgess Jr.
None of these three is assumed to get a roster spot above Gerry, per se. But Gerry isn’t a clear improvement over any of the three either, and it would be easy to see him pushed off the roster entirely if he struggles in training camp or the preseason.
Just like Wayne Gallman, Gerry carries zero in guaranteed money on his one-year deal, meaning parting ways with him would be awfully easy from the Niners’ vantage point.