The San Francisco 49ers had so many linebackers that they decided to get rid of a pretty decent one in Dee Winters this offseason, as they traded him to the Dallas Cowboys.
A recent free agency prediction has the Niners signing veteran Bobby Wagner, which probably wouldn't make a lot of sense in practice.
FOX Sports recently listed the 49ers as the best fit for Wagner, who was a legend during his time with the Seattle Seahawks. The reasoning given is the Niners have injury concerns at linebacker, and Wagner used to be teammates with K.J. Wright, who is now the linebackers coach in San Francisco.
It would certainly be weird seeing Wagner in a 49ers uniform after so many years of seeing him dominate with the Seahawks. Yet, Niners fans had to get used to seeing cornerback Richard Sherman don the red and gold, so if we can get used to that, then seeing Wagner would be a walk in the park.
While it would be interesting for Wagner to join the Niners, it probably wouldn't work, given the fact the Niners already have too many linebackers as it is. After Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw, who will both be starters if healthy, there are Tatum Bethune, Nick Martin, Garret Wallow, Luke Gifford, Jalen Graham, and Jaden Dugger.
Obviously, that herd is going to have to be thinned at some point, but the Niners don't exactly have a need for another linebacker right now. Injuries certainly are a concern when it comes to the linebacker spot, but it’s unclear if Wagner would even be willing to take a bench role.
He’s been a starter practically his entire career, so odds are he wants to go somewhere he can start if he does indeed want to keep playing. He was still solid last season with the Washington Commanders. He started all 17 games, recorded 162 tackles and had four sacks on the season. He may be 36 years old soon, but Wagner has proven he still has some gas left in the tank.
That gas just probably shouldn’t be used in San Francisco.
It’s an interesting thought, and maybe if the Niners hadn’t signed Greenlaw, then Wagner would make a lot more sense. Pairing him with Warner would have been pretty cool, but with where the 49ers are currently at, it just wouldn’t make a ton of sense.
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