49ers’ five remaining roster needs after first wave of free agency

49ers’ five remaining roster needs after first wave of free agency originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The 49ers’ latest apparent free-agent departure leaves the team without a reliable return specialist.

Ray-Ray McCloud filled that role the past two seasons and averaged a solid 9.8 yards on 57 punt returns during that time.

The 49ers filled their biggest offseason needs with the announcements Thursday of deals for four defensive linemen.

The 49ers re-signed defensive tackle Kevin Givens, signed former Cleveland defensive tackle Jordan Elliott and former Carolina Panthers defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos, and acquired defensive tackle Maliek Collins in a trade with the Houston Texans.

So what’s left for the 49ers to accomplish this offseason? Here are their biggest needs:

Offensive guard

Why: Veteran Jon Feliciano took over as the starting right guard to replace a struggling Spencer Burford. Feliciano played well. And when he exited Super Bowl LVIII with an injury, Burford replaced him and busted an assignment that left Kansas City star defensive tackle Chris Jones on a key third-down play in overtime.

Burford has not proven he can improve and develop into a reliable starter. And Feliciano remains unsigned as a free agent.

The plan: General manager John Lynch recently expressed his desire to re-sign Feliciano. So that clearly is an option.

Regardless, adding an immediate starter at right guard is a possibility when the 49ers go on the clock with the No. 31 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The 49ers could even trade up to make sure they get their guy.

Nickel back

Why: This is the area of the defense that was a liability all season. First, Isaiah Oliver struggled and got benched. Deommodore Lenoir played well in that role, but it meant that Ambry Thomas entered games at cornerback. The more Thomas played, the more he got exploited.

The plan: Perhaps, the 49ers have a keeper in Darrell Luter, a fifth-round draft pick last year. San Francisco should be able to…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/49ers-five-remaining-roster-needs-213019055.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2024-03-14 21:30:19

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