5 waiver-wire adds 49ers should immediately jump at
By Peter Panacy
The 49ers have finalized their initial 53 man roster for 2021, but these five players should be quick grabs on the NFL waiver wire.
It’s not over yet for the San Francisco 49ers when it comes to finalizing their 53-man roster for Week 1 of the regular season.
True, head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch just trimmed their preseason roster down from 80 players to the initial 53. But that doesn’t account for the fact a swarm of other players, either waived or released, are suddenly going to be made available on the NFL free agency market.
As far as waiver claims, which only matter for qualifying players, the order follows the same path as the original 2021 NFL Draft order, meaning the Niners own the No. 12 spot for claiming waived players.
But if San Francisco wants to upgrade various positions on the cheap, either by putting in a waiver claim or hoping players slip through to the NFL free agency market, these five could certainly help even if it meant a corresponding roster move with someone who originally made the cut.
49ers Waiver-Wire Target No. 5: Defensive Back Troy Warner
Perhaps this would only be for some modest sentimental value. But it would be awesome to see All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner take the field alongside his brother, defensive back Troy Warner, whom the Los Angeles Rams waived after originally signing him as an undrafted free agent.
Warner certainly doesn’t have the same pedigree as his older brother. Yet the 49ers could be aided by infusing some developmental youth into their secondary, particularly to help guard against potential injuries to some injury-prone players like Jason Verrett, Jimmie Ward and Jaquiski Tartt.
The younger Warner would surely love to play alongside his older brother. That’s not hard to figure out.
But the Niners could also take advantage by picking Warner’s brain about what the Rams were doing in training camp and the preseason, getting an insider’s edge on an NFC West division rival who’ll be a chief contender for a prime playoff spot.