5 bargain free agents 49ers can target this NFL offseason
By Peter Panacy
49ers free-agent target No. 4: Running back Duke Johnson, Dolphins
San Francisco would like to think its running back room is set next year with Elijah Mitchell as the starter, while Trey Sermon and JaMycal Hasty back him up.
Yet the 49ers are poised to lose veteran runners Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. on the free-agent market this offseason, and regardless, it almost appears as if every year they wind up dealing with injury attrition anyway, prompting the need to have at least a few worthy options on the depth chart.
While the tail end of the draft could supplement the need, the Niners haven’t been averse to going after rushers in free agency, and the Miami Dolphins’ Duke Johnson should be a low-cost option who might fit head coach Kyle Shanahan’s system.
Johnson, who’ll turn 29 years old early next season, was only scantly used by the Dolphins a year ago to the tune of 330 yards on 71 attempts, but he did average 4.6 yards per carry and has also served as a dual-threat receiving option over his seven-year career, too.
He played on a one-year, $990,000 deal for Miami last season, so it’s likely he’d be signed for about the same on a new would-be deal with San Francisco, too.