Photo courtesy of the San Francisco 49ers
Should the 49ers cut DT Javon Kinlaw?
The offseason is officially upon us, as the San Francisco 49ers were eliminated by the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game to a score of 31-7 after losing quarterback
Brock Purdy to injury on their first offensive drive.
The 49ers have many personnel decisions to make, as 25 players are currently scheduled for free agency, but there are other tough situations to handle, such as the contract of former first-round pick
Javon Kinlaw, who has not looked the same post-injury, especially during his second stint with the team this season at the end of the year.
Kinlaw, however, has a fully-guaranteed cap hit of $4.928 million in 2022, which would force the 49ers to take in that amount in dead cap money if they choose to move on.
So, should the 49ers cut Javon Kinlaw?
Trade
Before we answer the question, many have proposed a potential trade for the young defensive tackle's services, be it for a late-round pick or whatever can be salvaged.
I don't think Kinlaw currently holds any trade value, as a team would have to pay $2.72 million in salary for a player who has a history of knee concerns, while looking limited in the explosiveness that provided him with the hype going into the 2020 NFL Draft.
Additionally, it's unclear whether the 49ers would want to part ways with a dead cap-hit if Kinlaw could be better than any of their depth pieces in 2023, as they're going to be responsible for his contract either way, which is why it makes sense to keep him through the offseason program and see if he can compete with the rotational pieces on the team.
For the following reasons, a Kinlaw trade seems unlikely at the moment.
Cut
Now, should the 49ers admit their losses and cut Kinlaw outright? No.
At the moment, with the lack of perceived trade value imposed on Kinlaw, there's no timeline on when the 49ers should cut Kinlaw, as they'd lose the money attached to him regardless.
A better solution would be to carry Kinlaw on the 90-man roster going into the offseason and let him compete with the remainder of the backup defensive linemen, evaluating his play in comparison to his peers.
If Kinlaw is a top-ten defensive lineman on the team in 2023, the 49ers should keep him. If he can't even scratch that surface, then the 49ers should cut their losses and continue forward with their best options along the defensive line.
But, it would be unnecessary to move on from Kinlaw early on, given that the money attached to him would be paid out regardless if he's released in March or August, and because the 49ers will have 90 roster spots on their early offseason roster.
The opinions within this article are those of the writer and, while just as important, are not necessarily those of the site as a whole.
-
Sl
Get rid of him now. Its fools gold, even when he is healthy, he is nothing special, our fa pickups grade better. He is a distraction. Inly reason to keep him is to save face fir lynch. Heck with that.
Jan 30, 2023 at 4:47 PM
-
J French
Totally agree. Kinlaw can become a backup to Arik Armstrong only seeing the field as earned.
1 large 49er defensive line weakness is a true replacement for DJ Jones in the middle.
The 49er defense was poor in critical short yardage run situations this season.
Jan 30, 2023 at 9:50 AM
LISTEN
Facebook Comments
More San Francisco 49ers News
49ers have no plans to trade Javon Kinlaw, per report
The San Francisco 49ers plan to hold onto defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw for the fourth and final year of his rookie deal. According to Cam Inman of Bay Area News Group, who spoke with general manager John Lynch on Wednesday at Stanford's pro day, the team has no plans to trade the former first-round pick.
Some wondered about Kinlaw's future after the 49ers signed former Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Javon Hargrave to a four-year, $84 million deal. To many, the move seemingly signaled an admission that trading DeForest Buckner in 2020
49ers' free-agency pursuit surprised Javon Hargrave
Javon Hargrave was nervous heading into free agency. He knew he would get paid but was concerned that he might have to sacrifice success in the process. The defensive tackle had just been to a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles. Often, the teams with the most money to spend are the ones that are rebuilding.
Things appear to have worked out beautifully for Hargrave.
"Sometimes when you're trying to go get the money, you have to go to a team that's in a rebuild mode," Hargrave said. "But if you've got a chance to go to a team that was just in the NFC Championship, that's kind of an easy choice for me. So I was real happy about it.
"It really made me happy because I was real nervous about free agency, on where I was going to have to go. But I feel
Javon Hargrave loved "everything but the taxes" in deal to join 49ers
After a very productive season with the Philadelphia Eagles, defensive tackle Javon Hargrave earned a big payday with the San Francisco 49ers, signing a four-year deal worth up to $84 million. That is life-changing money for the 30-year-old.
Hargrave joined KNBR on Friday to discuss the move from Philly to the Bay Area.
"I was talking to them before I even signed, and one thing I even told him, even the players that had [contacted] me was just it ain't really too much convincing you all can do," Hargrave said. "You ain't really got to convince me. I guess they thought I was playing at the time, but it ain't really hard to convince when you go into a team that's built on winning, and one, they trying to come pay me big money."
Going from one stacked
Javon Hargrave: 49ers-Eagles would have been a different game with a healthy Brock Purdy
Everything changed in the NFC Championship Game when quarterback Brock Purdy exited early with an injury. He eventually returned because his backup, Josh Johnson, exited with a concussion. Purdy could not throw, though. He suffered a tear of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow, leaving the San Francisco 49ers to become one-dimensional, abandoning the pass and depending solely on the run game.
For fans, it was a difficult game to watch. Everyone anticipated a more evenly matched battle between the two best teams in the NFC. Instead, they got an Eagles powerhouse defense going against a limping 49ers offense.
"We kind of knew it was going to be different when all you can do is run the ball," former Eagles defensive tackle Javon Hargrave said
