There will be plenty of newly available free agents after roster cuts, and the 49ers would be wise to peruse the transaction wire to see who’s out there before Week 1.
If you think the San Francisco 49ers are all but finished with their projections for the 53-man roster heading into the 2021 season, think again.
For starters, all teams are eventually going to have to trim down their offseason rosters from 90 players to the eventual 53 shortly before the regular season hits, meaning well over a third of the league’s players will suddenly find themselves searching for new employment.
While many of these players will never play another NFL-level down again, and some merely have hopes of landing on a practice squad somewhere, there are likely to be some pretty high-profile names out there on the market.
As a reference, both ESPN and Bleacher Report listed some potential post-training camp cuts around the league. Whether these possible pre-Week 1 cuts are cap casualties or are merely pushed off their own respective rosters by younger, cheaper players is pure speculation at this point.
Yet head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch won’t hesitate to check out the waiver wire and significantly increased free-agent list to see if there are ways to improve their own roster heading into the regular season.
Perhaps even with these five possible pre-Week 1 cut candidates.
49ers Target No. 5: Wide Receiver Steven Sims, Washington Football Team
The Washington Football Team made some notable additions at wide receiver this offseason, inking Adam Humphries and then drafting Dax Milne, and both of those players could easily replace the 2019 undrafted free agent, Steven Sims, on slot duties.
Sims, 24 years old and 5-foot-10, has dual-threat rushing/receiving abilities and was modestly capable his rookie year, hauling in 34 catches for 310 yards and four touchdowns before injuries got the best of him last season.
And while ball security is a bit of an issue for Sims, he does have some versatility as a return specialist, which could potentially check off a box for a team like the Niners.
Currently, San Francisco has yet to identify a slot receiver heading into 2021. Mohamed Sanu could potentially do it, but he’s getting up there in age, and second-year pro Jauan Jennings remains something of a project.
Perhaps fourth-year pro Richie James wins out here, but it’s possible Shanahan likes the versatility and “positionless” nature someone like Sims offers.
49ers Target No. 4: Tight End Cameron Brate, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The days when veteran tight end Cameron Brate was a regular 500-yard receiver are surely gone, and he definitely won’t have those kinds of chances again with the Bucs in the wake of fellow TEs Rob Gronkowski and O.J. Howard still fully in the mix.
And with Tampa Bay going all out to re-sign the entirety of its starting free agents from its Super Bowl championship last year, the Buccaneers have to find out a way to shave off some cap space right now.
As such, don’t be surprised if Brate winds up being one of those cut at the end of training camp.
The 49ers seemingly flirt with the idea of finding tight end support to back up the All-Pro, George Kittle, on a year-to-year basis. Last year, Jordan Reed was the find, but he’s retired now. And with no major moves at the position entering 2021, the assumption is No. 2 tight end Ross Dwelley will be Kittle’s primary backup.
Yet there’s an argument Brate, 30 years old, could be a notable upgrade over Dwelley and would probably relish the opportunity to see a bigger role with a team like the Niners, which certainly wouldn’t be the case if he were to stay with the Bucs this season.
49ers Target No. 3: Linebacker Mack Wilson, Cleveland Browns
San Francisco already has two excellent linebackers in Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw, but the depth behind those names is noticeably thin.
Third-year linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair made strides in 2020, but his ceiling isn’t much higher than a reserve piece and special teams contributor. Are the 49ers banking on the undrafted free agent out of Ohio State, Justin Hilliard, making a sizable impact given his injury history.
It wouldn’t be shocking if the Niners looked to reinforce their linebacking depth after training camp, and one player to keep tabs on is Cleveland Browns third-year linebacker Mack Wilson.
Wilson, Cleveland’s fifth-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, regressed aplenty after his surprising rookie campaign, and the Browns’ long-term intentions for him were made apparent by the second-round draft addition of Notre Dame linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.
Owusu-Koramoah will essentially push Wilson out of Cleveland’s long-term plans, and there’s a good chance the latter winds up being waived before the start of the regular season.
While Wilson wouldn’t be pegged as a starter, San Francisco could at least make a low-risk waiver-wire add here.
49ers Target No. 2: Wide Receiver Allen Hurns, Miami Dolphins
Remember back in 2018 when there were thoughts the 49ers could benefit from soon-to-be free-agent wide receiver Allen Hurns, who three years before, put forth a 1,000-yard receiving campaign with the Jacksonville Jaguars?
OK, so Hurns never turned into that kind of player again, neither with the Dallas Cowboys and certainly not with the Miami Dolphins last year. And in the wake of Miami beefing up the pass-catching depth behind DeVante Parker, adding Will Fuller, Jaylen Waddle and the rookie, Lynn Bowden Jr., there certainly doesn’t seem to be a good chance Hurns makes the Dolphins’ 2021 regular-season roster.
Not with that group anyway.
The Niners still have that No. 3 receiver need on their own depth chart, though, and Hurns’ 6-foot-3 frame would provide a long and lanky target with the ability to act as a solid red-zone option — an area in which San Francisco’s offense has historically struggled under Kyle Shanahan.
Hurns wouldn’t be asked to do too much, but finding someone capable of hauling in those two to three extra passes per game would be an excellent use of whatever available resources the 49ers have left before Week 1 begins.
49ers Target No. 1: EDGE Mario Addison, Buffalo Bills
Let’s assume for a moment that Niners EDGE Dee Ford isn’t able to come back from his serious back injury suffered last season, essentially leaving fellow EDGE Nick Bosa as the lone serious pass-rushing threat on San Francisco’s defense.
True, linemen like Samson Ebukam and Arik Armstead are there, but there’s still a general lack of pass-rushing prowess for the 49ers, and it’ll be vital to keep Bosa, who suffered an ACL tear last year, rested and refreshed in his first year back from injury.
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Soon to turn 34 years old, Buffalo Bills EDGE Mario Addison is an aging and expensive player who certainly doesn’t fit into Buffalo’s long-term plans. True, the Bills could keep Addison as a supplementary pass-rusher. But with a 2021 cap hit of $8.2 million, that doesn’t exactly make a lot of sense.
While Addison is only one year removed from four straight seasons of nine-plus sacks, posting just five with the Bills in 2020, the Niners wouldn’t have to make him a featured pass-rusher.
Instead, think of a former rusher San Francisco had back in 2017, EDGE Elvis Dumervil, who actually managed 6.5 sacks in a situational role that year at the age of 33 years old.
Addison wouldn’t be asked to do much. But landing another pass-rusher if one is made available is never a bad idea.