© Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
The San Francisco 49ers might be “a place where people want to be“, according to 2016 AFC Pro Bowl fullback Kyle Juszczyk, but their offseason to-do list is stuffed with needs they have to address before next season.
Equipped with a hungry front office and around $74 million left in cap space after signing Jimmy Garoppolo, the 49ers are looking to make significant moves this offseason, and Chris Biderman of The Niners Wire told Larry Krueger on the latest episode of The Krueg Show how he believes they’ll approach free agency.
“I think the overlying theme that I’m looking for out of the 49ers would be to address some of those needs with free agents and still try to stick to their plan by building the foundation of their roster through the draft and filling holes with veterans,” Biderman said.
If the 49ers don’t bring back Dontae Johnson; who is fresh off a 4-year, $2.6 million deal with San Francisco, there’s not a lot of developable talent left at cornerback on their roster. Nonetheless, the free agent market for cornerback consists of several valuable talents; such as Malcolm Bulter, Trumaine Johnson, Nickell Robey-Coleman, and Kyle Fuller.
“I would expect the 49ers to fill their hole at cornerback in free agency,” Biderman said. “Maybe so they don’t necessarily have to take a cornerback in round one. Maybe the same for pass rusher. They could be in the market for a receiver, someone they could build around.”
Defensive end is another position that boasts a slew of top-name talent; including Ezekiel Ansah, Alex Okafor, and DeMarcus Lawrence. Similarly, the 49ers are flush with free agent wide receiver options in Allen Robinson and Donte Moncrief that could compliment their existing receiving core.
“Pierre Garcon, Marquise Goodwin, and Trent Taylor could be a pretty nice trio,” Biderman said. “But looking beyond next season, you wonder if the 49ers are going to make an investment in a top receiver, whether that’s a draft pick or somebody like Alan Robinson of the Jaguars, who might hit the free agent market in March.”
To listen to the full interview check out the podcast below, and start from the beginning for Biderman on the 49ers.