49ers free agency: Predicting which free agents Niners re-sign

Offensive guard Laken Tomlinson #75 of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Offensive guard Laken Tomlinson #75 of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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Trenton Cannon, San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers running back Trenton Cannon (49) Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports /

49ers 2022 NFL free agency predictions: Running back Trenton Cannon

San Francisco wasn’t exactly productive on special teams last season, and the return game was one of the primary liabilities, too, with the 49ers’ average starting field position on their own 26.9-yard line, which ranked fourth worst in the NFL.

Perhaps that figure would have been better if running back Trenton Cannon, one of the Niners’ primary return specialists, didn’t suffer that scary concussion against the Seattle Seahawks during the latter half of 2021.

Nevertheless, though, Cannon’s use as a returner wasn’t exactly something that’d warrant immediate re-sign consideration.

Cannon averaged 20.5 yards per kickoff return in 2021, which is a below-average number. And with San Francisco likely needing to identify and develop someone as a true return threat, there doesn’t seem to be a desperate need to keep him around.

Expect the 49ers to search elsewhere for a return specialist, meaning Cannon winds up suiting up somewhere else in 2022.

Prediction: Not re-signed