The 49ers Come on Strong at The End of Free Agency After a Bad Start

Up until mid week I was calling the 49ers off-season the worst in the N.F.L. and ripping the front office. All they managed to accomplish was lose talented players like Nate Clements, Manny Lawson, David Baas, (and eventually NT Franklin). But at the tail end of free agency here, the 49ers are making some positive moves. Will it be enough to overcome all of the losses they suffered? That remains to be seen, but at least the situation is no longer in dire straights on paper.

The 49ers made a pair of moves that are quite frankly steals, as well as made a decision that was unexpected. The 49ers added a pair of former top 10 draft picks with the signings of WR Braylon Edwards (3.5 million for one year) and Donte Whitner (3 years for 11 million) dollars.

The 6’3 former Michigan Wolverines star is a borderline number one WR talent who has had very productive seasons in his career (but I’d consider him more of a luxury number two WR). His best season was his third season in the league when he had 80 catches for 1289 yards and a whopping 16 touchdowns, and while he hasn’t approached those numbers again, he had two decent seasons with the Jets. Last season he had 53 receptions for 904 yards and 7 touchdowns. He made some big plays and has a history of shining bright in big moments, though his lack of concentration and drops (ie inconsistency) and me first attitude drove him out of Cleveland. Still for a player who wanted out of Cleveland because he wasn’t going to get a 10 million dollar a year contract, 3.5 million dollars is a good deal for the 49ers.

The 49ers also added talented safety Donte Whitner to their team at 3 years for 11 million dollars. Whitner is still in the prime of his career and has shown to be a capable run stuffer in the N.F.L. and could definitely improve the 49ers secondary. He’s not a star player, and may never live up to his lofty draft position, but he’s a solid player and was had relatively cheaply. Last season playing for a terrible Bills run defense he was able to register a 140 total tackles. I don’t expect those kind of numbers for the 49ers this year, but I like the signing. Whitner, though is another player who was disgruntled with his former organization.

The 49ers also added Offensive linemen Jonathan Goodwin, 45 games for the Saints over the last three years. The 32 (will be 33 in December) offensive linemen should ease the concerns about the loss of David Baas.

The 49ers also made one other positive move when they added CB Carlos Rodgers on a one year deal. The 30 year old cornerback should help the 49ers secondary which was sub-par last year and replaces the loss of Nate Clements and was had at a much cheaper price. Rogers is a pretty good cover corner, though he doesn’t make a ton of interceptions-8 in his 7 year career.

The last thing the 49ers have done over the past day was put the league on notice that they are willing to trade SS Taylor Mays. Mays was a second round draft pick in 2010, but clearly must not fit the intentions of new coach Jim Harbaugh. Mays is a supremely talented safety that was considered an “athlete” and not a football player heading into the 2010 N.F.L. draft. Mays flashed some on special teams last year and showed that he has all the ability in the world to be an effective N.F.L player, but does he have “it”?

All in all the 49ers had an uneven off-season and the losses they suffered (and the fact that Alex Smith is STILL their starting Quarterback this year) could lead to another down season for the 49ers, but at least it wasn’t all a complete lost. They made some pretty good moves and have improved in a few areas. I think their secondary could be better than it was a year ago with their off-season additions and they now have two bonafide wide receivers for Alex Smith to throw too. On top of that Frank Gore ended his holdout pretty early in the process so they’ll have him back for the whole season.

What are your thoughts 49ers fans?

Home/NFL Draft