Braylon Edwards to 49ers: 5 Elements Edwards Could Add to San Fran's Offense

With so much activity in the wide receiver market already, Braylon Edwards remains one of the few impact free agents left out there at the receiver position.

There's no doubt that Edwards comes with his share of baggage. Right or wrong, he has been cast as a malcontent throughout his career.

He's also had his share of run-ins with the law. In early 2010, he was arrested for disorderly conduct in a nightclub. He later plead no contest to the charge. Later in that year, he was booked for DUI. Any team that signs him has to know that the next time he slips up, he will likely be slapped with a lengthy suspension.

For teams looking to add Edwards, his positives far outweigh those negatives. Edwards can truly change a team's outlook on offense.

For a team like the 49ers that badly needs direction on offense, he could make a huge difference. Here are five things that Edwards would add to the Niners offense.

A Huge Target for Alex Smith

For better or worse, it looks like the 49ers will be going into the 2011 season with Alex Smith as their starting quarterback. Smith possesses some physical tools that you want in a signal caller, but his pocket presence and accuracy have always been questionable.

A big, rangy target like Braylon Edwards would help remedy that. When Smith finds himself on the run out of the pocket, it would be comforting for him to have someone like Edwards who he can simply throw the ball up to.

And when Smith's accuracy is shaky, Edwards can go get it with his tall frame and long arms. In short, a receiver like Edwards can make up for a lot of mistakes on the part of the quarterback.

A Knack for Big Plays

Big plays are the lifeblood of any good offense. On any given scoring drive, you can usually point to one or two big plays that got the team in a position to score.

When your offense scuffles as much as the 49ers offense has over the last several seasons, big plays are few and far between.

Edwards would bring big plays by the ton and give the 49ers offense a fighting chance to put up big offensive numbers.

He has never averaged fewer than 13.9 yards per reception in any season he has been in the league. And the year he averaged that, he was limited to just four games. If you throw out that season, he next lowest average is 14.5 yards per catch.

Over his career, Edwards has 83 receptions of 20 yards or longer and 20 receptions of 40 yards or longer. His acquisition would easily make him the 49ers biggest big play threat.

A Veteran Presence

Calling Edwards a veteran presence might seem counter-intuitive, but it rings true. When it comes right down to it, his teammates don't care what Edwards has done off the field in the past as long as he helps them win on Sundays. 

Edwards has also been labeled a malcontent, but that largely came when he was playing on absolutely pitiful Cleveland Browns teams. Say what you will about his attitude, but Edwards plays hard and badly wants to win.

He has seen it all in the NFL. He has played on good teams, bad teams, inexperienced teams and teams loaded with veterans. Literally nothing could happen during an NFL game that Edwards hasn't experienced.

Edwards on-field leadership is sorely needed on a team stuck in neutral like the 49ers.

Someone to Tutor Michael Crabtree

Michael Crabtree's 49ers career isn't off to the best start. First, after being drafted by the team, he held out not only for all of training camp but also for the first five regular season games.

After a solid rookie season, he had a not so inspiring sophomore season. He played five more games in 2010 than he did in 2009, but he only caught seven more passes for 116 more yards.

Now, he has publicly called into question Alex Smith's ability to lead this team. Crabtree is only saying what everyone is thinking, but that doesn't make it right. You can't just call out teammates like that.

Bringing Edwards in could go a long way toward maturing Crabtree as a player. Edwards competes on every single play and his fire to win burns hot.

The 49ers probably don't want Crabtree going out to the clubs with Edwards, but I'm sure they'd like to see him spend quality time on the practice field with him.

A Red Zone Specialist

Few receivers in the NFL have a nose for the end zone like Braylon Edwards does. At 6'3", he is already a prime red zone target, but it's not just height that he has going for him.

Edwards also goes up to get the ball as well as anyone. When plays near the goal line break down, having a player like Edwards goes a long way. Quarterbacks can simply throw the ball in his area and have confidence that his guy will be the one coming down with it.

In his seven seasons in the NFL, Edwards has 39 touchdown catches. In 2007, he hauled in an absurd 16 touchdowns.

A big receiving threat in the red zone has been missing from the 49ers offense for quite some time and Edwards would certainly fill that need.