The 49ers may simply need to fill out a roster with the first wave of free agency in the books, so reuniting with these former players could happen.
To say the San Francisco 49ers have been less than active on the 2025 free-agent market would be a bit of an understatement.
Despite a handful of modest signings, most of which have been ticketed to support special teams, the Niners have watched a massive chunk of their roster depart during free agency's opening wave, heralding in a new era of cost savings and player turnover.
At some point, though, San Francisco will have to take action, if for no other reason than to actually fill out an offseason roster while not relying too heavily on its 2025 rookie draft class.
The 49ers surely have eyes on still-available free agents, yes. But, it's not out of the question to turn to some familiar faces who once donned the red and gold, asking if they'd like to come back on cheap-ish deals for what could be prominent roles.
Such as these three former Niners.
Former 49ers who could return via free agency
No. 1: Edge Clelin Ferrell
San Francisco missed out on now-Buffalo Bills defensive end Joey Bosa. Coupled with the release of veteran edge Leonard Floyd, there's now a gaping void on the opposite side of Nick Bosa on the defensive line.
In 2023, this spot was filled by Clelin Ferrell, a former fop-five draft pick who never quite materialized during his time with the Las Vegas Raiders but managed a modestly successful one year with the 49ers before inking with the Washington Commanders last season.
Not much of a legit pass-rushing force, Ferrell was nevertheless solid against the run during his Niners tenure, and that's an area San Francisco will want to improve this year.
After back-to-back 3.5-sack campaigns, he'd probably be cheap, too.
No. 2: Wide receiver DeAndre Carter
Maybe the 49ers are more committed to second-year wide receiver Jacob Cowing as a return specialist this offseason, but coordinator Brant Boyer might want an upgrade in that department.
Niners fans may not remember journeyman wideout and returner DeAndre Carter much, as he spent 2017 on the practice squad and didn't last too long into 2018.
But the Northern California native has made a career out of his third-phase contributions since, bouncing around the league and averaging 9.7 yards per punt return in the process.
If San Francisco is depleted on defense now, adding Carter would significantly strengthen special teams.
No. 3: Offensive lineman Daniel Brunskill
The 49ers were wise not to re-sign left guard Aaron Banks, who cashed in on a massive $77 million deal with the Green Bay Packers.
It leaves a void, though, and the Niners' possible contingency of turning to Ben Bartch in Banks' stead might not pan out. Plus, the departure of swing tackle Jaylon Moore to the Kansas City Chiefs creates an issue, too.
Remember the versatile lineman, Daniel Brunskill, the one who shut down now-retired Los Angeles Rams All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald twice a year? Well, Brunskill is back on the open market after two years with the Tennessee Titans.
At 31 years old, Brunskill isn't quite ancient (in football terms) yet, and he managed to appear in all 17 Titans games last year, 10 of which were as a starter. The versatility is there, too, meaning a reunion could afford San Francisco the chance to have a high-quality backup at the very least while leaving the door open for him to start at left guard right away, should he win that competition with Bartch.
Reunions are nice, aren't they?
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