5 Free Agents San Francisco 49ers Should Avoid This Offseason
Anyone discussing free agents that the San Francisco 49ers should avoid this offseason must approach the subject with a rather large grain of salt.
Like one the size of the Niners’ own contract-needy left guard Mike Iupati.
Michael Ginnitti of Spotrac—the trusted online database for all sports contract information—compiled the projected cap space for all 2015 NFL teams. The 49ers qualified for No. 4 on that list.
Fourth—as in the fourth-highest cap hit league-wide or having the fourth-fewest cap dollars at their disposal.
San Francisco currently sits $6,419,937 in the red based on Spotrac’s 2015 cap estimate of $142,000,000. Only the New Orleans Saints (-$26,460,646), Arizona Cardinals (-$12,032,384) and New England Patriots (-$7,527,056) find themselves worse off.
Now, the league’s official cap number won’t become known until March 10. And 49ers cap architect Paraag Marathe will undoubtedly reduce that aforementioned figure with his renowned prowess in the contract-negotiating department.
But no matter the outcome, you won’t find Niners general manager Trent Baalke pursuing any big-name free agents after teams lose sole negotiating rights with their players on that second Tuesday of March.
So go ahead and eliminate the likes of Demaryius Thomas, Ndamukong Suh and Darrelle Revis, among others.
Does that also mean Baalke can’t go after second-tier players? And what about the proverbial bargain adds—guys who are worthy of only those low-risk, incentive-based deals?
Grain of salt or not, here now are the five free agents the 49ers should avoid this offseason.
5. Ike Taylor, Cornerback/Safety
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Unlike future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady, most NFL players aren’t akin to fine wines.
They don’t get better with age.
Longtime cornerback Ike Taylor has played for the Pittsburgh Steelers for the past 14 seasons. Only twice did he see action in fewer than all 16 games before suiting up for just five in 2014.
But the sculpted, big-bodied Taylor is no longer the shutdown guy he once was in the not-so-distant past. He coughed up four touchdowns in coverage in that limited time last year after surrendering six and five, respectively, in 2013 and 2012, per Pro Football Focus.
Allowing 15 touchdowns in 33 games after giving up just eight scores over the previous 64 regular-season contests is far from an auspicious omen for an NFL corner.
OK, but why would the 49ers even consider a defensive back who turns 35 in May?
Because a savvy veteran like Taylor is one who could in theory also play safety. Look no further than Charles Woodson. The eight-time Pro Bowl cornerback and three-time First-Team All-Pro has excelled as a hybrid free safety/nickel corner since returning to the Oakland Raiders in 2013.
Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk reports that Taylor is open to a position change. In the case that he could in fact make the switch, such versatility would prove quite valuable to the 49ers.
Starting free safety Eric Reid has suffered several concussions over his first two seasons. Backup Craig Dahl is an overpaid liability, while San Francisco’s first-round pick Jimmie Ward struggled in slot coverage last year, allowing four touchdowns in only eight games, per PFF.
All that said, Taylor just isn’t the answer.
He’s better off following his former defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau to the Tennessee Titans. And the 49ers would be better served drafting a young safety in the later rounds of this year’s draft.
Re-signing cornerbacks Perrish Cox, Chris Cook and perhaps even Chris Culliver might take precedent as well.
4. Miles Austin, Wide Receiver
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Outside of the age-defying Anquan Boldin, free-agent busts at the wide receiver position have plagued the 49ers for years.
One might indeed qualify it as an eternal scourge on a franchise that had once produced great receivers by the names of Jerry Rice, John Taylor and Terrell Owens.
To the point, offseason additions like Mario Manningham, Braylon Edwards and Ashley Lelie have all failed with the red and gold in recent seasons. Each one neglected to bring his size, speed and/or reliable hands after signing with the 49ers.
And for 2015, the man of the hour is Miles Austin.
He compiled 47 catches for 568 yards and two touchdowns in 12 games in 2014. The good-sized 6’3”, 215-pounder also earned a respectable No. 42 overall ranking among 110 wideouts graded by Pro Football Focus.
What makes these numbers intriguing is that Austin played for a quarterback-deficient, gridiron disaster that is the Cleveland Browns. A three-part circus of Brian Hoyer, Johnny Manziel and Connor Shaw just isn’t conducive to pass-catching success.
Even though Austin was productive despite a journeyman and unprepared rookie throwing him the ball, he simply doesn’t fit the bill in San Francisco.
The 49ers need a wideout who brings both size and speed. They need a guy who can stretch the field for the rocket-armed Colin Kaepernick and one who will come down with jump balls in the red zone.
Austin no longer offers those skills. His transformation from a double-digit scoring, two-time Pro Bowler into an underneath target who moves the chains would give the Niners what they’ve had far too much of over the past several years.
Stevie Johnson’s $6.025 million salary and Michael Crabtree’s contract-needy status could both prove untenable for the 49ers in 2015. That would leave them with only Boldin, Bruce Ellington, Quinton Patton and Trindon Holiday, per Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area.
But that still doesn’t mean the veteran Austin, and his affordable price tag, is an ideal free-agent pickup. Turning 31 in June and an extensive history of injuries don’t help his cause either.
Niners general manager Trent Baalke must instead target multiple receivers over the early rounds of the draft.
3. C.J. Mosley, Defensive Tackle
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Playing defensive tackle for the Detroit Lions brings with it two types of associations.
One involves physically dominant play in the trenches, especially against the run. The other, unfortunately, entails unsportsmanlike aggression on the field and a load of distractions off it.
And for C.J. Mosley, well, it includes a little of both.
He registered 2.5 sacks, 14 quarterback hurries and positive scores in both run and pass defense as one of Ndamukong Suh’s backups. The 10-year veteran also ranked No. 26 among 81 interior tackles graded by Pro Football Focus.
Regrettably, Mosley also found himself in some off-the-field trouble. The Lions imposed a two-game suspension when they caught him with weed after he disabled a hotel smoke alarm during the team’s stay in London, per Chris Mortensen of ESPN.
So, from the 49ers’ Ray McDonald-less—and potentially Justin Smith-less—perspective, this can go one of two ways.
Either they land an effective and reasonably priced reserve player along the defensive front who has experience in both 3-4 and 4-3 alignments, or they find themselves with a backup who provides more distraction than depth.
Either Baalke gets McDonald-like production on the field or a knucklehead who creates unnecessary drama away from it.
It boils down to an unknowable proposition. And considering the laughable state of affairs in 49ers land these days under CEO Jed York, the team might want to err on the side of caution.
Baalke and new head coach Jim Tomsula would make much better use of their time ensuring the return of No. 94 rather than pursuing any questionable free agents.
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2. Tyler Polumbus, Right Tackle
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Remember when the thought of Jonathan Martin reuniting with Jim Harbaugh seemed a perfect fit for the 49ers?
You know, pairing the former second-round pick with his coach at Stanford and utilizing him as a solid backup right tackle?
Go ahead and insert the sound of an ear-splitting, game-show buzzer.
Martin allowed six sacks, struggled as a run-blocker and garnered a bottom-25 ranking from Pro Football Focus in 2014. He rarely generated push or won his matchups against opposing linemen in the trenches.
His failures proved costly for a 49ers team that desperately needed a reliable stopgap with starter Anthony Davis missing so much time.
So if Colin Kaepernick would prefer not enduring a league-worst 52 sacks yet again in 2015, Baalke must not sign this year’s version of Martin.
Tyler Polumbus logged playing time in 11 contests for the Washington Redskins last season. He started seven games and came off the bench in four others.
The monstrous 6’7”, 302-pounder, however, was an equally massive issue for Washington. He surrendered a league-high eight sacks at right tackle, not to mention giving up 13 other quarterback hurries and earning negative scores in both pass and run blocking.
PFF dropped him to No. 62—two spots lower than Martin.
Again, like the three entries before him, the 49ers might consider signing Polumbus due to his veteran experience, versatility and/or cheap price tag. In 2013, the former Colorado product started all 16 games and ranked fifth among right tackles and an impressive 18th overall.
But when it comes to buttressing the offensive line with quality depth, reclamation projects don’t qualify anymore.
That makes Polumbus and the 49ers an incompatible match.
1. Jordan Cameron, Tight End
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Wasn’t there something about top-tier free agents not being viable additions for the 49ers?
Earlier criteria notwithstanding, this latest selection isn’t exactly upper-echelon. There are also some outside circumstances in play.
We’ve established the considerable salary-cap restraints that currently bear down on the 49ers. Yours truly has also elaborated on a scenario that would help eliminate said restraints.
Trading Vernon Davis or releasing him outright would free up between $4,350,000 and $7,017,918 depending on the means of exchange. The talented but vastly underachieving tight end expended more energy developing his personal brand last season than producing on the field.
Such misguided focus led to a third-leading six drops among 67 tight ends, career lows in nearly every statistical category and a bottom-six ranking by Pro Football Focus.
For the purposes of this investigation, a possible replacement for Davis comes in the form of Jordan Cameron.
The free-agent tight end steadily progressed over his first three seasons after being drafted No. 102 overall in 2011 by the Cleveland Browns. That progression culminated in a Pro Bowl campaign in 2013 when he amassed 80 catches for 917 yards and seven touchdowns.
Those totals earned him top-five or better positional rankings in each of those categories.
Sadly, Cameron came crashing down to football earth last year. Despite notching a career-best 17.7 yards per catch, he played in only 10 games after suffering another concussion and increasing his total to three since 2013.
So even though he wants out of Cleveland, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (h/t Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk) and would serve as a more reliable pass-catcher for the still-developing Kaepernick, Cameron’s history of head trauma could well negate that dependability.
Plus, Davis still possesses an All-Pro skill set and is signed through 2015. He can still create vertical opportunities in the passing game and is just one season removed from a 13-touchdown, Pro Bowl campaign in 2013.
And if nothing else, CSN Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco reports that head coach Jim Tomsula has already inspired a newfound commitment to football from the nine-year veteran.
The 49ers, as such, must stick it out with Davis for one more year rather than exhausting similar financial resources and more years on another possession target with an injury-plagued past.
All team and player statistics courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference unless otherwise noted. All contract information courtesy of Spotrac. Advanced metrics provided by Pro Football Focus.
Joe Levitt is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, waxing academic, colloquial and statistical eloquence on the San Francisco 49ers. Follow him on Twitter @jlevitt16
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