49ers' Team Needs to Fill in 2023 NFL Free Agency
The San Francisco 49ers have a strong roster foundation in place to challenge for the NFC title for years to come.
The 49ers have one of the best set of offensive skill-position players, headlined by Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle. Nick Bosa is the star of a strong defense.
San Francisco's goal in free agency will be to build up the other parts of the roster so that it can be viewed as the top team in the NFC going into the 2023 NFL season.
Kyle Shanahan's side should be picked to win the NFC West, but it will face new challenges within the division if the Los Angeles Rams bounce back and the Arizona Cardinals improve under a new coach.
San Francisco needs to get better on the offensive line, where it may have to replace tackle Mike McGlinchey, and it needs to find upgrades in the secondary to deal with the likes of DK Metcalf and A.J. Brown in the NFC.
Offensive Tackle
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The 49ers could have a McGlinchey-sized hole to fill on the right side of their offensive line.
McGlinchey is set to hit free agency in two weeks, and he could be drawn away from the Bay Area with larger deals from teams with bigger needs on the interior.
Kaleb McGary could end up as the top target at right tackle if the 49ers do not bring back McGlinchey on a new deal.
San Francisco may also look for an inexpensive route to sign a right tackle. The 49ers could find a lesser-known tackle who better fits the Shanahan offensive scheme.
Money might be an issue for the 49ers in free agency because they have to extend Bosa at some point in the offseason.
Bosa would become an unrestricted free agent next offseason, but the 49ers would be wise to sign him to a long-term deal.
The 49ers are tight on salary cap space already. They are $2 million above the cap, per Spotrac, and they would have to shed some salary, or restructure deals to go after the top-tier free agents.
Secondary
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The 49ers need to shore up the depth in the final layer of defense.
San Francisco has some strong pieces in place with Deommodore Lenoir and Charvarius Ward at cornerback and Talanoa Hufanga at safety.
The strong foundation in the defensive backfield is a great starting point to build depth, but the 49ers need one or two more pieces to have a complete secondary.
San Francisco could lose Jimmie Ward, Tashaun Gipson, Emmanuel Moseley and Jason Verrett in free agency from the secondary.
A safety to complement Hufanga is probably at the top of the secondary wish list, but the 49ers could also use improvements behind Lenoir and Ward.
The 49ers will likely be priced out of the races to sign James Bradberry, Jamel Dean and Cameron Sutton, but a shrewd move for a veteran, like Patrick Peterson, Marcus Peters or Bryce Callahan can work out within the team's budget.
Kicker
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The 49ers have been blessed with Robbie Gould as their kicker since 2017.
The 40-year-old kicker will be a free agent this offseason, and he may end up being too expensive for the 49ers to bring back.
The NFC West can't franchise-tag Gould again, as it did in 2019, because of the $6.6 million assigned to kickers under the franchise tag.
Gould could depart the Bay Area for one final payday in his career, and that would leave the 49ers looking for a new kicker in the offseason.
San Francisco could easily find a new kicker in the 2023 NFL draft, but it may explore the free-agent market with some intriguing names available.
Randy Bullock, Greg Joseph, Matt Gay and Greg Zuerlein are among the free agents who could intrigue the 49ers this offseason.
Of course, the veteran kickers come with a higher price tag than a late-round draft pick, or an undrafted player, and price may play a factor in that decision if the 49ers need to commit resources elsewhere.
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