4 remaining free agents 49ers must consider before it’s too late

49ers NFL free agency target No. 1: EDGE Everson Griffen

If San Francisco wanted to splurge a bit in an attempt to bolster its pass rush, the team could do worse than go after veteran EDGE Everson Griffen, who is only two years removed from a career stretch where he managed four Pro Bowl nods in five years.

At 33 years old, Griffen is likely hitting the downward trajectory of his pro career, and it would be premature to assume he’d threaten double-digit sacks again after boasting six combined with the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys a year ago.

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Still, even supplementary pass-rushers don’t come cheap, so the 49ers might have to open up their proverbial checkbooks a bit to sign a player of Griffen’s ilk.

It wouldn’t be a bad idea either.

True, the Niners are getting back their top-two pass-rushers from 2019 and early last year, EDGEs Nick Bosa and Dee Ford. But both also are returning from serious injuries, and the possibility of either player suffering yet another setback is awfully real.

At this stage in his career, Griffen might be strictly a third-down pass-rusher who could help spell both Bosa and Ford to keep them rested, fresh and healthy.

And smart teams know pass-rushing depth is always a good thing to address even when there initially appears to be enough players there to fill whatever voids exist.