The San Francisco 49ers have nearly $30 million to work with in free agency, but that doesn’t mean they’re guaranteed to go out and spend big.
In fact, it may behoove their short and long-term team building to play in the pool of lower-tier free agents who don’t have big names and aren’t likely to break the bank.
ESPN’s Ben Solak made a list of 14 underrated players on the unrestricted free agent market with less than a week to go until the NLF’s legal negotiating window opens for free agents. Not every player on the list makes sense for San Francisco, but there are six that stand out as players the 49ers should go after if their markets aren’t robust.
CB Carlton Davis
It’ll be interesting to see what the 49ers are looking to spend at cornerback. Charvarius Ward is likely headed for the exit, and reserve CBs Rock Ya-Sin and Isaac Yiadom are also on track to hit the open market. Davis dealt with a broken jaw last year that cost him the final three games of the regular season and the playoffs, but he’s still a terrific CB who would fit in nicely alongside Deommodore Lenoir, while taking some pressure off of second-year CB Renardo Green to take a massive leap as a No. 2 CB. If Davis’s market gets inflated, the 49ers aren’t likely to get involved. If he falls through the cracks with a handful of other good CBs available, there’s a good opportunity for the 49ers to pounce a quality starting cornerback who has 11 interceptions and 73 pass breakups in seven seasons.
LB Jamien Sherwood
If the 49ers can’t bring back Dre Greenlaw, Sherwood would be a really nice consolation prize. He shined under 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh when Saleh was the head coach of the New York Jets. Sherwood is a little overaggressive at times and missed 18 tackles last season, but he didn’t allow a touchdown in coverage and produced like a quality starting LB in his first season as a full-time starter. Slotting the 25-year-old alongside Fred Warner may help the 49ers develop their next great LB.
CB Paulson Adebo
A broken femur limited Adebo to only seven games in his fourth season and it may limit his market with teams weary of signing a player coming off a major injury. However, the 49ers will need some CB depth and Adebo was playing well before his injury − posting three interceptions and seven pass breakups. There’s a chance Adebo, a third-round pick in the 2021 draft, becomes a free agency steal if his market is depressed because of his injury.
DE Malcolm Koonce
Koonce is another really good player coming off a major injury. He tore his ACL before the regular season began, which will certainly impact what could have been a huge offseason for Koonce. In 2023 he was tremendous for the Las Vegas Raiders with 52 pressures and eight sacks in 344 pass rush snaps. There’s a chance Koonce is a dominant edge rusher if he comes back fully healthy, and the 49ers badly need one. San Francisco should be the team willing to give Koonce a decent contract in free agency because at his best he can dramatically improve their struggling pass rush.
DT Poona Ford
The 49ers need good players on the interior of their defensive line. Ford is a good player and has been for all seven of his NFL seasons. He’s a stout run defender and he can push the pocket as a pass rusher. Ford would step in and immediately make the 49ers better without breaking the bank.
LB Jack Sanborn
San Francisco may be satisfied with their group of linebackers, especially if they get Dre Greenlaw re-signed. Sanborn is an intriguing fit as a third LB though. That’s a position the 49ers have struggled to fill since Azeez Al-Shaair left. Sanborn will only be 25 when the season starts and he’d immediately improve the 49ers’ 4-3 base defense. He’s also a proven player who could conceivably slide over to the Will LB spot in a pinch. Perhaps the 49ers like what they have with Tatum Bethune and Dee Winters. If they scour the market for an LB, Sanborn should be on their list.
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