The 49ers won’t have an abundance of roster needs in 2022, but NFL free agency has to provide some necessary upgrades anyway, and these targets can help.
The San Francisco 49ers shouldn’t be thinking too hard about which players they’re eyeing out there on the 2022 NFL free agency market. After all, at 8-7 and firmly seated in the NFC playoff picture in a Wild Card spot, there are bigger concerns with finishing the year strong and getting into the postseason.
Hopefully advancing far.
Yet the Niners’ recent surge and periodic setbacks have revealed some glaring weaknesses on the roster that need to be addressed. And not necessarily the obvious ones either.
Currently, according to Over the Cap, San Francisco is projected to have $12.78 million in cap space for 2022, although parting ways with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, as is expected to happen, will free up an additional $25.6 million, money desperately needed to extend high-profile players like EDGE Nick Bosa and wide receiver Deebo Samuel.
But it’ll also aid in luring in some productive free agents, too, and the 49ers would be wise to have eyes on these five pending free agents if they hit the market.
49ers NFL free agency target No. 5: Offensive Guard Austin Corbett
The Niners have to face a few big realities along their offensive line this offseason, mainly the fact left guard Laken Tomlinson is going to command a hefty new contract in 2022 somewhere, and it’s possible he’s already priced himself out of San Francisco’s comfort range.
Additionally, even if Tomlinson re-signs, the 49ers are also potentially going to have to admit their second-round pick from the 2021 NFL Draft, Aaron Banks, is a complete bust.
If that’s the case, the Niners surely wouldn’t mind plucking their NFC West rivals, the Los Angeles Rams, for a quality guard, Austin Corbett, whose familiarity in a similar zone-style offense would translate well over to what head coach Kyle Shanahan operates in San Francisco.
Corbett has been excellent in pass protection this season, and at 26 years old, he’s significantly younger than Tomlinson and might be worth going after anyway if the price tags are similar.
Either way, the 49ers can’t afford to neglect their O-line entering 2022.
49ers NFL free agency target No. 4: Tight End Gerald Everett
Back at it grabbing other NFC West players again, this time tight end Gerald Everett.
Everett, another former Rams player, jumped ship to join the Seattle Seahawks last offseason, yet he’s been largely a disappointment amid what’s been a largely disappointing 2021 campaign for Seattle anyway. And if Seahawks brass elects to “blow the whole thing up” this offseason, there’s little sense in bring back the talented-yet-underachieving Everett back for another year.
At 27 years old, Everett still has plenty of proverbial gas left in the tank. And his prior experience in Los Angeles’ offense bodes well for him being a natural fit for Kyle Shanahan, too.
Speaking of Shanahan, he’s long since tried finding a quality No. 2 tight end to pair with George Kittle, once targeting now-Cleveland Browns tight end Austin Hooper, then adding now-retired tight end Jordan Reed a year ago.
Considering Kittle’s extensive injury history, it might be wise for the Niners to explore a veteran contingency plan anyway, at least giving Shanahan a good backup with the highest upside of having two established pass-catching tight ends to create all kinds of matchup nightmares against opposing defenses.
Everett’s down season might make him a less-expensive commodity, too.
49ers NFL free agency target No. 3: Wide Receiver Cordarrelle Patterson
Unlike Gerald Everett, Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson is having a fine season despite Atlanta not exactly mustering up much of anything else on offense.
Atlanta, amid what’s sort of a halfway rebuild, might look to make the versatile Patterson a long-term fixture in its offense, although he’ll likely be seeking a playoff-contending team now that he’s on the wrong side of 30 years old.
Still, it’s the way the Falcons have used Patterson this season, both as a receiving threat and as a rusher, not unlike how San Francisco has deployed its own versatile weapon, Deebo Samuel, oh so successfully in 2021.
According to Kyle Shanahan, via NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco, the 49ers tried “three different times” going after Patterson on the open market and came close, even knowing fully well what they had in Samuel.
Maybe a fourth time will be a charm.
And just like the case with George Kittle, Samuel’s own injury history might be something the Niners want to guard against next season, too, making Patterson a worthy target once more.
49ers NFL free agency target No. 2: Safety Marcus Maye
Risk versus reward here.
Strong safety Jaquiski Tartt makes San Francisco’s defense better when he’s on the field. The problem, though, is Tartt’s own extensive injury history makes his potential re-signing a liability. And while rookie safety Talanoa Hufanga has shown the occasional splash play here and there, he’s still nowhere close to being a reliable option in coverage.
New York Jets safety Marcus Maye, too, is coming off a serious Achilles injury and might not be completely 100-percent healthy by the time 2022 rolls around. Nevertheless, that injury setback should certainly drop whatever his free-agent asking price would be, potentially into a range where the 49ers would be comfortable.
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At 28 years old, Maye has been one of the few bright spots on what’s otherwise been an abysmal Jets defense over the years. He, too, will likely want to shake up his career at this point by joining a contender, and his recent experience working within Jets head coach Robert Saleh’s defense, one brought over from when Saleh was the Niners’ defensive coordinator, could help with the transition.
San Francisco might have to accept Maye’s injury concerns, but that might be a risk worth taking here.
49ers NFL free agency target No. 1: Cornerback Kyle Fuller
Let’s not kid ourselves here. The 49ers’ No. 1 offseason priority should be addressing their cornerback room, doing so multiple times both via free agency and the NFL Draft.
Veteran corners Josh Norman and Jason Verrett are all but assured to be gone in 2022, and nickel cornerback K’Waun Williams is a free agent, too, albeit the only one of this cast who’d be considered a re-sign priority. Rookie corners Ambry Thomas and Deommodore Lenoir have a ways to go before they can fully assume starting duties, too, meaning the Niners have to make a serious attempt to restock this position.
Grabbing another veteran would help, and one such name to watch is Denver Broncos cornerback Kyle Fuller.
At 30 years old, Fuller isn’t likely to be in Denver’s long-term plans anymore, at least not after the Broncos used a first-round draft pick to grab top-rookie corner Patrick Surtain II in 2021.
Sure, Fuller might not be of the same caliber he once was during his heyday years with the Chicago Bears. Yet San Francisco seems to have a knack for trusting veteran cornerbacks over 30 years old with prominent roles, Norman the latest example and, previously, now-Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Richard Sherman.
Perhaps Fuller will be next on the list.