Why San Francisco 49ers Made the Right Move in Waiving WR Braylon Edwards

On his official website, San Francisco 49ers WR Braylon Edwards said on Tuesday that the team has released him:

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I was released today by the 49ers due to my injury that required more time to rehab and hasn’t allowed me to re-sync with the offense. I wish the 49ers organization the best of luck during the Playoffs.

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This comes as no surprise since on top of the injury, a healthy Edwards was unproductive with San Francisco.

In an article by Michael David Smith of NBC Sports, Smith doesn't believe Edwards will get too many calls this offseason in free agency:

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Although Edwards was viewed by some as one of the top free agents available after the lockout, it turned out that NFL teams were largely uninterested in his services.

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Smith continued: "His statement suggests, however, that he doesn’t plan on playing until 2012—when the free agent market for him will not be hot."

So to that end, don't expect much news about Edwards when the offseason begins.

One could argue that since making his debut for the Cleveland Browns in 2005, he's largely been a bust. Only once (2007), has he compiled over 1,000 receiving yards and more than 10 TDs.

Then after leaving Cleveland, Edwards spent roughly two years with the New York Jets and then made the trip out to San Francisco for 2011. For his career he has just 341 catches for 5,323 yards and 39 TDs (16 of which came in 2007).

Now, it could be the fact that he's never played for a gunslinging QB in the pros, so maybe once healthy someone with a more established QB than Derek Anderson, Mark Sanchez or Alex Smith will provide him an opportunity.

But, it was the correct move by the 49ers—they have TE Vernon Davis and WRs Ted Ginn and Michael Crabtree. Not to mention Josh Morgan will hopefully stay healthy in 2012.

The 49ers are a more run-oriented team, and Edwards is not necessarily a prototypical stock-blocking WR: He just didn't fit the system.

All this being said, for Edwards' sake, hopefully he can be a part of a system with one stud WR. Teams like Arizona, Miami, and San Diego would not be a bad fit. As long as he eventually gets healthy, there's still time left for Braylon to revive his career.

Follow John Rozum on Twitter @ Sportswriter27