49ers Cap Casualties Open Up Key Position Battles for 2015
The San Francisco 49ers are going to be faced with plenty of tough choices in the coming weeks and months as the franchise looks to stay below the projected 2015 salary cap.
According to Over the Cap, San Francisco's top 51 contracts amount to $147,926,194—well above the projected $138 million to $141 million the 2015 NFL salary cap is expected to be. This number does not include pending free agents. It also doesn't account for the team's unused cap space from this season.
Still, the 49ers are likely going to have to restructure some incumbent players' contracts and/or cut ties with expensive commodities on their roster.
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Three notable contracts come to mind: outside linebacker Ahmad Brooks, tight end Vernon Davis and safety Craig Dahl.
Should San Francisco part ways with these veterans, the team would ultimately be saving a lot of money. All three combine for $18.6 million against the cap next season. Some of that would invariably wind up being dead money, but it would give the 49ers much more flexibility.
Cutting these players would help financially. But what about replacing the on-field production at each of these positions? Without a lot of cash to spend in free agency, the 49ers are going to be forced to solve each of these questions in house.
Some have easy answers. Others do not.
Safety
Dahl has served as a backup safety in the 49ers secondary in each of his two seasons in San Francisco. Signed as a free agent prior to 2013, Dahl's playing time was reduced thanks to the emergence of then-rookie safety Eric Reid.
Reid is combined with veteran safety Antoine Bethea heading into 2015. That tandem isn't going to change anytime soon, but the battle for the depth chart will be something worth attention.
Dahl is signed through 2015. But given his liabilities in coverage over the course of the season, it's plausible the 49ers elect to release him.
Two names come to mind when evaluating the backup safety position: Jimmie Ward and L.J. McCray.
Ward was signed in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft. The promising rookie was shifted to the nickel position and had his share of difficulties as he tried to adjust to the pros. Ward was injured after Week 10 and spent the rest of the season on injured reserve.
It's a worthy argument to state that Ward is better off at his natural position instead at cornerback. While the 49ers obviously want him to contribute as the team's slot corner, it is worth giving him a look at safety for long-term implications.
McCray was an undrafted free agent who saw the majority of his 2014 snaps on special teams. He did appear in eight games—the majority of which were down the stretch when San Francisco's secondary was particularly thin.
One might not think that this is very important considering the 49ers have a starting tandem that quietly emerged as one of the best in the NFL at this position. But Reid missed three games this year and also suffered his third concussion in two seasons.
A legitimate backup would be worth examining.
Outside Linebacker
Brooks likely becomes a cap casualty thanks to his lofty $9,648,750 cap hit in 2015 and thanks to the emergence of rookie linebacker Aaron Lynch.
Both were tied for the team lead in sacks (six), although Brooks had 25 tackles compared to Lynch's 17.
Still, the fifth-round selection from the 2014 draft will likely garner the majority of attention when evaluating San Francisco's future plans. This was made even more evident when Brooks was benched twice this season.
With Brooks likely gone, the door opens for a more prominent role from Lynch and others. A pass-rushing tandem of Lynch and fellow linebacker Aldon Smith is scary for sure, but what about the depth behind these two standouts?
Part of it will hinge on the potential re-signing of linebacker Dan Skuta. Primarily a special teams player before 2014, Skuta ended up playing a prominent role in Smith's absence over his nine-game suspension. When Smith returned, Skuta saw more action as a base-down linebacker with Lynch primarily serving as a third-down option.
Skuta recorded five sacks in this role.
The 28-year-old veteran may or may not return in 2015. But additional consideration must be given to two-year veteran Corey Lemonier.
Lemonier was a major disappointment this season. Expected to be a notable contributor during Smith's absence, the former third-round selection found himself relegated to backup duties after Week 4. He only appeared in eight games during the season, logging just seven tackles in the process.
Trimming some of the excess at this position might give Lemonier the possibility to rebound in 2015. He won't overtake Lynch anytime soon, but hopefully the 49ers will be able to get something out of their investment from a couple of years ago.
Tight End
This is perhaps the most difficult position to evaluate.
Davis endured the worst season, statistically, of his career since his 2006 rookie campaign—a year that saw the 30-year-old veteran haul in just 26 receptions for 245 yards and four touchdowns.
He is scheduled to make $4.35 million in base salary next year, which, combined with his lack of production, makes Davis a prime cap-casualty candidate. The 49ers might elect to take this route given their financial situation. But it doesn't solve all their problems.
First, San Francisco was hoping for more out of second-year pro Vance McDonald. The 49ers' No. 2 tight end caught just two passes for 30 yards before missing the vast majority of the season due to injury. McDonald appeared in just four games in 2014.
While he is a decent blocking option, McDonald has yet to emerge as a legitimate pass-catching threat. Therefore, it's difficult to assume he simply takes over for Davis if the latter is cut.
San Francisco also has three considerations behind McDonald at the tight end position: Garrett Celek (who is a restricted free agent), Derek Carrier and Asante Cleveland. All three saw playing time this season, with Carrier appearing in the most games (seven) before an injury sidelined him after Week 11.
Carrier might be the best pass-catching option the 49ers have in their depth at this position. But he certainly doesn't emulate the matchup problems that made Davis well known during his prime.
Cap considerations make targeting a high-profile free agent all but impossible. San Francisco can cross off players like Denver Broncos tight end Julius Thomas from its radar. On top of that, the 2015 draft class at tight end is relatively thin.
Unless the 49ers believe they have a perfect candidate who can be molded into a top-tier tight end, it's unlikely they'll attempt to land something in the early rounds of the draft to supplement this potential need.
Thus, the position battle opens up.
These position battles will heat up once we get a better picture of the 49ers' plans heading into free agency and, eventually, into the draft.
But drawing up San Francisco's salary position and where it stands in regards to the cap, one can assume that there will be some notable names to watch as the team begins to formulate its roster in 2015.
Hopefully, some of these names can step up into prominent roles and earn the snaps that will help make the difference in retaining the strengths at each position.
Until then, speculation is our only guide.
All statistics, records and accolades courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com unless otherwise indicated. Contractual information courtesy of Spotrac.com unless noted otherwise.
Peter Panacy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report, covering the San Francisco 49ers. Be sure to check out his entire archive on 49ers news, insight and analysis.
Follow him @PeterPanacy on Twitter.
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