Deshaun Watson’s pipe dream to the 49ers lives on after a report came out that Watson is intrigued by the idea of playing in San Francisco. It remains far-fetched, but given that Watson has a trade ban, these rumors aren’t going to go away anytime soon.
In order for JJ Watt to land with the Niners, the team would have to release Dee Ford with a post-June-1 designation. From there, you should get creative with Watt’s contract, as you did with George Kittle and Arik Armstead. If I were to pay a lot of money for an edge rusher this free agency, I would pick the Rams’ Leonard Floyd or the Cardinals Haason Reddick from a complementary standpoint, based on who the 49ers have upfront.
If Watt wants to play for the Niners at a reasonable price, or if he’s signed, that would be a great asset to the team from an elusive / leadership standpoint. Nick Bosa, Javon Kinlaw and Arik Armstead would have the chance to see how Watt works and what it takes to get and stay at the elite level.
The Bills and Ravens make the most sense as landing sites for Watt.
Who is Bobby Slowik and why is he rising in the coaching list of the 49ers? A mail bag
I was hoping Trent Taylor and Jerick McKinnon would return from injury and make solid contributions to fouls. Do I face the same disappointment with Jalen Hurd? – Dustin F.
Any 49ers fan should now know that there is no way to predict who will come back strongly from ACL tears and who will not. The silver lining of Hurd’s injury is a) It was isolated from the ACL and, unlike Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas, no other parts of the knee were involved and b) It happened in August. With clear ACL tears, the patient can be back in nine months. Which would mean the end of OTAs and minicamp seems like a possibility for Hurd.
49ers president Al Guido on using the facility as a COVID-19 vaccination site: ‘It’s up to us to give back to the community’
“We started this honestly about two months ago,” said Guido. “And we are happy to open a few days ago. We’re doing just over 1,000 (vaccinations) a day right now, and frankly, the great thing about our facility – not just ours but all of the NFL stadiums – is that we have 2,000,000 square feet where we can vaccinate people . … We think we will get up to 15,000 people a day, making us the largest site in California. Honestly, like any state at the moment, we’re just waiting for stock. But so far it is going well. We are very proud to partner with our Santa Clara County Public Health Department to make it happen. “
NFL Free Agency: Underrated players the San Francisco 49ers should aim
Why not look for a high quality former first round in Neal as a cheaper alternative? After earning a Pro Bowl trip with Atlanta in 2017, the Florida product played in four games over the next two seasons.
He appeared in 15 games in 2020, but was not the same player we saw before the injury. Adding Neal to the mix wouldn’t stop San Francisco from going to safety at some point in the draft, but it wouldn’t force the team’s hands off prematurely. Neal probably doesn’t expect more than $ 5 million a year.
49ers can’t risk missing out on Deshaun like they did Stafford
Before the 49ers could blink, their best chance of clearly upgrading was with quarterback packing his bags for Los Angeles and now they will meet the 49ers twice a year for the foreseeable future. The 49ers were outshone by their rivals in the Stafford trade talks as the Rams did what the 49ers had not wanted to do until now by pushing all-in to maximize their title window.
The 49ers can’t let that happen again, especially as Deshaun Watson insists on his desire to be traded off-season. On Thursday, Go Long’s Ty Dunne reported that Watson had the 49ers and Miami Dolphins at the top of his wish list, and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler noted that the 49ers and Denver Broncos are among the teams “intriguing” the star QB.
Keep or release 49ers: safety
Jaquiski Tartt
Tartt is one of the best protections in the NFL when he’s healthy. Unfortunately for the 49ers, the six-year veteran has missed 24 games in the past four seasons and never played a full 16-game schedule.
Tartt played a career-low 373 snaps in 2020. The highlight of his season would come in the season opener against Arizona, where he would intercept a pass from Kyler Murray, Murray’s first turn-over in his young career against the 49ers.
Tartt would end 2020 with 30 tackles, one interception and four passes defended
Keep or release: release
An unrestricted free agent, Tartt is not expected to be back with the 49ers by 2021.