3 potential 49ers free agents we won’t miss if they sign elsewhere

49ers Free Agent No. 1: Josh Norman, Cornerback

The team’s cornerback problems have been very well documented, although it should be noted that the team made some changes thanks to some personnel coming back.

The biggest concern that was facing the 49ers were the absurd amount of penalty flags being thrown for interference, a problem that was rectified when veteran Josh Norman was benched late in the year.

Norman, a veteran in the truest sense of the word given he’s 34 years old, was once a shutdown corner in this league.

But his performance has shown the NFL has passed him by.

Flag after flag after flag seemed to follow him, when he wasn’t being beaten by receivers. Age beats every player eventually, and it was clear that Norman just is a shell of the player he used to be.

It’s hard to be terribly critical of Norman, who was signed in a panic by San Francisco when the cornerback depth went terribly low and was pressed into service as a starter, but that doesn’t change that he’s an easily upgradeable player.

The cornerback woes on the team have been addressed someone and the starting trio of Emmanuel Moseley, Ambry Thomas and K’Waun Williams (should he spurn free agency) should be a solid starting point.

For Norman, however, he shouldn’t be a part of those future plans.