10 players who won’t be on 49ers 53-man roster come Week 1
By Peter Panacy
No. 6: 49ers EDGE Dee Ford
The Niners may be doing Kevin Givens a favor by letting him walk. In EDGE Dee Ford’s case, a likely departure has to do more with necessity than anything else.
Ford’s tenure with San Francisco has been a disappointment, and John Lynch has to be regretting the 49ers’ early 2019 trade and subsequent massive contract extension given to the former Kansas City Chiefs pass-rusher before a multitude of injuries completely derailed his career.
Sure, Ford was modestly important during the Niners’ Super Bowl run that season. Yet he appeared in only one game in 2020 and was only scantly on the field last year before going back to injured reserve again.
There’s a chance Ford actually retires this offseason, and San Francisco will look to recoup some modest cap space despite still having to pay out a sizable amount in guaranteed money anyway.
On top of all that, it appears as if the 49ers have already tabbed Ford’s long-term replacement, using their first pick of the 2022 NFL Draft on former USC EDGE Drake Jackson.
If Jackson proves to be much more reliable on the field than Ford was the last three years, it’ll be a wise investment.