After beginning the season 0-9, it’s almost unbelievable to think that the 49ers might be a playoff team as currently constructed. Yet, that’s how they looked after making the change at quarterback to Jimmy Garoppolo, going 5-0, and dispatching of three — okay, two and a half –consecutive playoff teams to end the season.
The 49ers now head into 2018 seemingly in great shape. With their franchise quarterback already in the fold, GM John Lynch enters his second offseason with over $100 million in salary cap space to spend on free agents, and either the ninth or 10th pick in the NFL Draft depending on a coin flip with the Oakland Raiders. There is no reason the 49ers shouldn’t be able to add talent to this roster in the coming months, and that should make the rest of the NFL nervous after what took place in December.
It’s been easy to forget in recent weeks, but the 49ers still have a number of huge holes to fill. Here are the top five areas they need to address this offseason to make themselves a serious playoff contender in 2018.
1. Cornerback – 2017 third-round draft pick Ahkello Witherspoon had an impressive second half of the season, and looks like a player that could serve as a solid starting corner for years to come. Unfortunately, he’s the only cornerback on San Francisco’s roster you can say that about. By far the worst position on the team in 2017, the 49ers were ranked 28th in overall pass defense according to Football Outsiders, and allowed opposing quarterbacks an average QB rating of 93.9. Veteran cornerback Dontae Johnson — who started a majority of the games — was especially dreadful, accounting for five pass interference penalties (tied for 2nd most in the NFL) and ranked as the third worst cornerback in all of football according to Pro Football Focus.
Only Witherspoon and nickel cornerback K’Waun Williams — who the team signed to a three-year deal in September — showed enough to earn themselves spots next season. Cornerback has been one of the weaker areas on the 49ers for years, with Carlos Rodgers being the last San Francisco CB to make a Pro Bowl in 2011. This may be a position the 49ers target in both free agency and the draft.
Top CB Free Agents:
Patrick Robinson – Eagles – Age: 30 – Annual projected salary: $6 million – 2017 PFF position rank: 4 (4 INT, 18 PD, 47 TKL)
Tramon Williams – Cardinals – Age: 34 – Annual projected salary: N/A – 2017 PFF position rank: 9 (2 INT, 12 PD, 41 TKL)
E.J. Gaines – Bills – Age: 25 – Annual projected salary: $9.7 million – 2017 PFF position rank: 17 (1 INT, 9 PD, 59 TKL)
Prince Amukamara – Bears – Age: 28 – Annual projected salary: N/A – 2017 PFF position rank: 42 (0 INT, 7 PD, 48 TKL)
Brent Grimes – Bucs – Age: 34 – Annual projected salary: N/A – 2017 PFF position rank: 38 (3 INT, 11 PD, 49 TKL)
Malcolm Butler – Patriots – Age: 28 – Annual projected salary: $13.2 million – 2017 PFF position rank: 45 (2 INT, 12 PD, 60 TKL)
2. Interior Offensive Lineman – The interior of the 49ers’ offensive line looked like one of the the worst in football at the beginning of 2017, but the unit seemed to slightly improve as the year went on. Laken Tomlinson and Brandon Fusco proved serviceable with Jimmy G under center after looking like they might get C.J. Beathard killed in the weeks prior. The running game as a whole proved fairly successful, with the 49ers finishing the season averaging 4.1 yards per carry.
Still improvements can be made here. The 49ers would be wise to add an OL closer to the quality of tackles Joe Staley and Trent Brown at either the guard position or at center, should the team want to upgrade in the middle with Daniel Kilgore hitting free agency. Typically, these are positions teams use the draft to improve upon, but there are also a handful of big name free agents that San Francisco should take a look at.
Top OG/C Free Agents
G Andrew Norwell – Panthers – Age: 26 – Annual projected salary: N/A – 2017 PFF position rank: 3
G Mike Person – Colts – Age: 29 – Annual projected salary: N/A – 2017 PFF position rank: 14
C Ryan Jensen – Ravens – Age: 26 – Annual projected salary: N/A – 2017 PFF position rank: 9
3. Edge Rusher – It’s somewhat amazing the 49ers don’t have this position filled after drafting defensive linemen in the first round for three consecutive years. San Francisco hasn’t had a bonafide pass rusher since Aldon Smith, and 2017 was no different. Elvis Dumervil lead the team with 6.5 sacks a year after DeForest Buckner and Ahmed Brooks tied for the lead with six. Adding an edge rusher to play alongside Buckner, who became one of the premier interior lineman during his sophomore season, would make this already talented young line a force to be reckoned with in 2018. The jackpot here would be landing perennial All-Pro Demarcus Lawrence.
Top Edge Rusher Free Agents
DeMarcus Lawrence – Cowboys – Age: 25 – Annual projected salary: $9.1 million – 2017 PFF position rank: 3 (14.5 sacks, 35 TKL)
Adrian Clayborn – Falcons – Age: 29 – Annual projected salary: $9.3 million – 2017 PFF position rank: 17 (9.5 sacks, 21 TKL)
Ezekiel Ansah – Lions – Age: 28 – Annual projected salary: $9.5 million – 2017 PFF position rank: 41 (12 sacks, 44 TKL)
4. Wide Receiver – Before Garoppolo took over, this position would’ve been much higher on the list, but the receiving corps has been humming recently, in large part to the late season emergences of Marquise Goodwin and Trent Taylor. Competent quarterback play has changed everything, and shown the 49ers can win games against good teams with this current group. Add to that the fact that No.1 receiver Pierre Garcon hasn’t been available since midseason, and you could make the case that wide receiver is more of a strength than a weakness at this point.
Still, a clear number one would elevate this group to another level, and maybe even turn them into one of the best corps in the league. We saw what Kyle Shanahan was able to do in Atlanta with a true No.1 receiver, and while no one on the open market is Julio Jones, a key addition here could see Shanahan’s state-of-the-art offense jump into top gear.
Top WR Free Agents
Sammy Watkins – Rams – Age: 24 – Annual projected salary: $9.2 million – 2017 PFF position rank: 30 (39 REC, 593 YDS, 8 TDs)
Jarvis Landry – Dolphins – Age: 25 – Annual projected salary: $14.1 million – 2017 PFF position rank: 18 (112 REC, 987 YDS, 9 TDs)
Allen Robinson – Jaguars – Age: 24 – Annual projected salary: N/A – 2017 PFF position rank: N/A
Terrelle Pryor – Redskins – Age: 28 – Annual projected salary: N/A – 2017 PFF position rank: 110 (20 REC, 240 YDS, 1 TDs)
5. Linebacker – This might seem surprising considering the best player on the defense is a rookie linebacker, but the 49ers depth at this position is extremely weak. Aside from Foster — and considering Dumervil an edge rushing specialist as opposed to a traditional LB — you could argue that the 49ers don’t have another healthy starting caliber linebacker on their roster. Malcolm Smith apparently looked like that, but who knows what he will be able to contribute after missing the entire season with a torn pectoral sustained in training camp.
Other frequent starters Eli Harold and Brock Coyle both were ranked well below average by Pro Football Focus, and are not every down players. Add that Foster has shown himself to be susceptible to injury, and the 49ers really need to add some talent here if they can.
Top LB Free Agents
Paul Posluszny – Jaguars – Age: 33 – Annual projected salary: N/A – 2017 PFF position rank: 15 (61 TKL)
Nigel Bradham – Eagles – Age: 28 – Annual projected salary: $6.1 million – 2017 PFF position rank: 22 (88 TKL, 1 FF)
Demario Davis – Jets – Age: 28 – Annual projected salary: $7.9 million – 2017 PFF position rank: 8 (135 TKL)
Tahir Whitehead – Lions – Age: 27 – Annual projected salary: $8 million – 2017 PFF position rank: 26 (110 TKL, 1 INT)