49ers Free Agent Moves

By Kalen Patrick

Not too long ago I made a post about the doom and gloom surrounding the 49ers free agent period. Well in the last few days things have definitely made a turn for the better. The 49ers kicked off the return of Football by essentially losing David Baas, Takeo Spikes, Nate Clements, Aubrayo Franklin, Manny Lawson and Dashon Goldson. That is a lot of starters lost right there, 5 on defense. But now lets take a look at the players the 49ers brought in and how they should compare to the players lost.

First off, lets take a look at the offense. The 49ers replaced David Baas with Jonathan Goodwin. You may say Goodwin who? Goodwin was the Center for the 2009 Superbowl winning New Orleans Saints, and he was a pro-bowler that year. David Baas is an average at best Center. So right off the bat the 49ers have added a veteran and superbowl caliber Center. The most important position on the offensive line. Not only this, but the 49ers added Braylon Edwards at Wide Receiver. Now I know what you're gonna say, "drops!!" right? Well last season Edwards had only 1 drop, and he is exactly what the 49ers needed. We needed size at Wide Receiver and now we have it. Vernon Davis has basically been the lone red zone target.

JONATHAN GOODWIN, WAS THE CENTER FOR THE SB CHAMPS IN 2009

BRAYLON EDWARDS

You know have Vernon up the middle, Edwards on the side, Gore out of the backfield and Crabtree coming across the middle. While Sidney Rice may be a better player, when you factor in $$$ the 49ers did much better getting Braylon. Suddenly you have a lot of weapons on offense, Gore and Hunter/Dixon at RB, Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker at TE, and now Michael Crabtree, Braylon Edwards, Josh Morgan and Ted Ginn at WR. Not too shabby when you add in a pro-bowl center and a lot of young talent on the o-line.

Now for the defense, the 49ers did lose a bunch of players, but they are hoping some guys can step up AND they have made some very smart additions. The secondary was far and away the biggest issue with the 49ers. They dump Clements and Goldson (saving a ton of money) and add Carlos Rogers at CB, who is just as good if not better than Clements is right now, and at a much cheaper price. Last year at Safety the 49ers entered the season with Michael Lewis and Dashon Goldson at SS and FS respectively. Lewis was overrated and overpaid, and Goldson had a good 2009 but was to struggle in 2010. This year the 49ers now have a much better situation, the 49ers added Donte Whitner and Madieu Williams in Free Agency. Whitner will be a starter and Williams most likely the 3rd safety.. Although the 49ers looked in to trading Taylor Mays, he still is a guy with huge potential and ready to be a star (in my opinion) also Reggie Smith at Safety too. So you got 4 guys who can play the 2 positions well now.

CARLOS ROGERS

The biggest question marks for the 49ers are going to be a Linebacker. Spikes was a good player and a vocal leader, now the 49ers are really going to be counting on either Navarro Bowman or Scott McKillop to come up big right now. I think Bowman could (should) be ready to step in at TED. While I think the loss of Manny Lawson is quite big, it seems so far in camp rookie 7th overall pick Aldon Smith is looking very good and the guy the 49ers wanted when they drafted Manny. Aldon Smith is already drawing comparisons to some very decorated pass rushers and that would be a huge boost to the defense. Having a legitimate Pass Rusher.

DONTE WHITNER

I loved Aubrayo in 2009, in 2010 he had a solid year, it really could have gone either way in 2011. For the money it took I thought the 49ers should have brought back Franklin, although I do think McDonald is ready to step up as an everyday starter. I don't think there is much of a drop off on the defensive line to be honest. Isaac Sopoaga has previously played NT and all he will be asked to do is clog space, not penetrate the lines. Sopoaga is certainly capable of that. I also really like McDonald and Justin Smith on the Ends. Both are big and physical, chase Runners down well and are excellent at providing pass rush ability.

With all the recent additions I feel a lot better going in to the season than I did a week ago. I guess Harbaugh and Baalke did have a solid plan in place. The most impressive thing the 49ers accomplished? If you add the guaranteed money for ALL the 49ers players signed (Whitner, Rogers, Edwards, Williams, Goodwin) is the same as what the Oakland Raiders just gave Michael Huff. Now that is excellent General Managing by Trent Baalke.

The Best Remaining Free Agents

By Kalen Patrick

Well we all know the flurry of action that has already taken place since the NFL opened up for business, but there are still a number of solid Free Agents still available and they would/should come at a reasonable price. Lets first take a look at the offensive players still available.

OFFENSE
QB - Marc Bulger - Obvious Bulger is no longer a starter, but in this day and age when the majority of teams will start more than 1 QB in a season, I think Bulger is a very solid #2 option. I would like him in San Francisco as the #3 QB for sure. Veteran guy, very professional, willing to be a mentor for a younger QB.

RB - Ahmad Bradshaw - Bradshaw will never be a feature back and thus won't get paid like one, but like he was used in New York, he can be effective as part of a 2 headed rushing attack.

WR - Malcolm Floyd/TO/Randy Moss - For the 49ers I would love the addition of a Malcolm Floyd, big tall physical receiver, would be an awesome red zone target (the one part of the field Alex Smith excels in) and will never expect to be the #1 receiver, in SF he'd just be a part of the receiving corp. As for TO and Moss, I don't think they get signed soon, however, once Training Camp gets in to full swing, preseason starts and injuries start mounting. You know a team will come calling for their services, it really is a matter of when not if.

COULD WE SEE THIS AGAIN? 49ERS DO HAVE A SERIOUS LACK OF DEPTH AT WR.....

OL - Olin Kreutz C Shaun O'Hara C, Brian Waters OG - Both of these guys are quality Centers. Not only are they both talented players on the field, they would also provide veteran leadership to an O-Line lacking that (cough 49ERS cough). These guys can immediately step in and be the captain of the line. Again teams lacking a Center actually have some good options available. Waters is an established veteran who has had a great career for KC. He is very near the end of the line, however, I wouldn't completely count him out yet as an effective starter. KC have tried to become a much younger team. I still believe he'd help out many teams with a need at RG.

DEFENSE
DL - Aubrayo Franklin NT - It's beyond me how a guy of Franklins caliber seems to have been totally overlooked by teams this offseason. If they only looked at his excellent 2009 season and very respectable 2010 season, there should be a line of 3-4 lining up for his services. He is currently on his way back to meet with the 49ers. I doubt they let him leave without a contract.

ASANTE SAMUEL IS WORTH A 2ND ROUNDER

LB - Lofa Tatupu (available via trade) ILB/ Manny Lawson OLB - Tatupu has recently demanded a trade or release from the Seahawks, while I do feel he is overrated, any 4-3 team requiring LB help should be interested. I think if I'm the Detroit Lions, I'm getting in on this action. Suh and Fairley in the middle, with Tatupu behind? That sounds like a RB's nightmare. Also Lawson is a very solid pass rusher who wasn't asked to rush as much in SF as he should have been. He is also very athletic and capable of covering TE's and Pass catching RB's very well. He will be a great pick up for some team.

DB -  Asante Samuel (via trade)/Carlos Rogers- With the acquisition of Asomugha and DRC, the Eagles can afford to trade Asante. He has a very favorable contract and should be able to net a 2nd rounder from teams needing secondary help (Lions, 49ers). Rogers is actually a good solid cover corner, he just has the worst hands in the NFL, I know it's not exactly a DB's job to catch. But be prepared about 5+ times a year for "HOW DID HE DROP THAT EASY INTERCEPTION?!?!?!?!" Again Rogers is very solid, would make for an awesome #3 CB and good #2.

I just touched on a few players left, there are still some real solid options available, and in particular I'm hoping my 49ers can start getting in on the action.

Best Free Agency Moves

By Kalen Patrick

Well the NFL is back in full swing, Training Camps all over the country are open, and of course there have been the usual flurry of action in Free Agency. Millions of Dollars have been thrown around and now it's time to judge the decisions of the various GM's around the NFL. Of course we won't know how all of these contracts will turn out until we see the production on the field. But it sure is fun to speculate, right?

The team I have to grade the highest so far this offseason is the Eagles. Without a doubt the best move in my opinion far and away was Nnamdi Asomugha to the Eagles. This is a guy who despite being stranded in obscurity in Oakland for years, was still recognized as arguably the best CB in all of Football. I gotta give the Eagles an A+ for their offseason. They undoubtedly have the best secondary in Football as it stands right now. For Kevin Kolb (an average backup QB) they received a quality CB in Dominique Rodgers Cromartie, in addition to a 2nd round pick from the Arizona Cardinals. So you add DRC, then you sign only the best CB in the game in Asomugha for a very reasonable price. 

Furthermore, you already have Asante Samuel, who you can now trade to the highest bidder. A team like the 49ers could very well use his services, and would likely get the Eagles another 2nd round pick. Other notable additions are Jason Babin who had a monster 2010 season (12.5 sacks), Vince Young (30-16 as a starter) and draft picks Danny Watkins (OG) and Jaiquawn Jarrett (S).

Think about this for a second. The Eagles have managed to drastically improve the secondary, Vick's backup was the average Kolb (Career QB rating of 73.2) and now the proven winner in VY, and bolster the lines with Babin and Watkins, in addtion to possibly acquiring an extra 2 2nd rounders for next years draft. Stroke of genius if you ask me, and now Philly are primed for a very deep run in the playoffs.

The next team is another usual suspect. Gotta go with the New England Patriots. For the small small price of 5th round and 2 6th round picks, the Patriots have managed to acquire Albert Haynesworth and Chad Ocho Cinco. Of course both of these guys have many question marks and issues, but lets be honest, if anyone can get these guys on track, its Bill Belichek and the Patriots. They turned Randy Moss from a lost cause to the best receiver in Football. For the small price, if they can get these guys playing at anywhere near what we know they can, then these might be the biggest steals this year.

Other teams and moves I briefly wanna touch on include: Reggie Bush traded to the Miami Dolphins, I actually love this move. While Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams put up solid numbers, the Dolphins have been lacking a big play threat, something that Reggie specializes in. I look for Bush to have a big impact in Miami, he will fit in like a glove, with the wildcat formations and all the crazy stuff the Dolphins always do on offense.

I also like what Carolina have done. A young raw rookie QB's best friend are his TE's, and the Panthers have definitely added some impact players there. Ben Hartsock will be the reliable blocker, while having Greg Olsen and Jeremy Shockey will be catching a ton of balls from Cam Newton. I think if Newton can step up, Carolina can be a team that quickly turns it around, a la Miami and Atlanta a few years back. They did a great job, resigning their notable players in DeAngelo Williams and Chris Johnson. Also getting Steve Smith committed is also huge for Newtons development.

FOR A TEAM THAT WENT 2-14, CAM NEWTON HAS A LOT OF TALENT TO WORK WITH

Finally, I wanna touch on one of the under the radar moves which I think will end up having a huge impact. I really thought Mike Sims Walker got a raw deal in Jacksonville. I look for him and Bradford to have a very very solid season together in St. Louis. Sims Walker was a fantasy stud and surprise in 2009. Expectations were through the roof and the Jags passing game struggled mightily in 2010. I think he can have a major bounce back year with Bradford, in the Josh McDaniels offense.

That's it for now, I'm hoping for some/any news about my 49ers. Frustration is getting to an all time high. There is still time to salvage the offseason by making some possible key signings, like Olin Kreutz, Malcolm Floyd, Cromartie/Carlos Rogers, James Jones etc etc. Lets start moving forward in the Harbaalke era in San Francisco.