According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the San Francisco 49ers have traded Pro Bowl punter Andy Lee to the Cleveland Browns for a 7th round draft pick in 2017. Yes, 2017 and not 2016.
The 49ers used a 5th round selection in this year's draft to select Clemson punter Bradley Pinion, who general manager Trent Baalke had said would offer competition for Lee. It looks as though that competition is over.
While there had been early speculation, due mainly to his college field goal experience, that Pinion might actually offer some competition for kicker Phil Dawson, he will likely start at punter for the 49ers and Lee will start for the Browns.
Lee was drafted by the 49ers in the 6th round of the 2004 NFL Draft and selected to the Pro Bowl following the 2007, 2009 and 2011 seasons. His contract with the 49ers had run through 2018.
Lee was going to count $2.55 million against this year's cap whereas Pinion will count only account for $483,550.
Lee had averaged 46.2 yards per punt during his career with the 49ers with a net average of 39.6 yards per punt.
And now, some Bradley Pinion punting highlights...
Cleveland is trading a 7th-round pick in 2017 to San Francisco for three-time Pro Bowl punter Andy Lee, league sources told ESPN.
Beat writer wonders if offseason additions could tempt 49ers to trade Raheem Mostert
By David Bonilla
Jul 19, 2021
The San Francisco 49ers should feel good about their running back depth. On their latest 49ers Talk podcast, Matt Maiocco and Laura Britt of NBC Sports Bay Area took a look at the team's offseason veteran additions and departures. When they landed at the running back group, Maiocco wondered if there is too much depth.
Obviously, there is the argument that there is no such thing as too much depth. For example, the 49ers have to feel better about their quarterback position with high-potential rookie Trey Lance likely to open the season as Jimmy Garoppolo's backup. That's a better backup situation than the team had in recent years.
At running back, San Francisco didn't just add veteran Wayne Gallman, who may be a severely underrated signing.
How well do the 2021 49ers stack up to the 2019 team?
Lately I have listened to some podcasts and read some tweets comparing the current San Francisco 49ers team (2021) to the 2019 team that fell just short of winning the Super Bowl. I find the comparison interesting. And since many people quickly assume the 2021 49ers are not as good as the 2019 team, I wanted to take a look for myself. So as we prepare for the team to report on Tuesday, let's compare the two teams, position by position. For the purpose of this very scientific experiment, we will assume everyone is healthy (even though that never happens). Let's start on offense. The defensive comparison is coming soon.
Offense
Quarterback:
How well do the 2021 49ers stack up to the 2019 team?
Yesterday, we took a look at the 2021 San Francisco 49ers offense to see how it compares to the team's offense from 2019. Some have said this year's team will be better than the 2019 team, while others have suggested that won't be the case. In our very scientific investigation, we determined the 2021 offense will be better than the 2019 offense. Today, we will take a look at the defenses.
Interior Defensive Line
Leading up to the 2020 draft, the 49ers traded away DeForest Buckner. They selected
CB K'Waun Williams labeled as 49ers' secret weapon by Bleacher Report
By Rohan Chakravarthi
Jul 18, 2021
K'Waun Williams is one of the best nickel cornerbacks in the NFL and a vital component of the San Francisco 49ers defense. There was some concern that he might be among several players slated to depart for other teams this offseason.
However, Williams was re-signed to a one-year deal and, for the most part, San Francisco's brain trust managed to keep the team mostly intact.
When healthy, Williams has proved his value. He showed that in 2019 during one of his best campaigns, posting an 80.3 overall Pro Football Focus grade during his over 700 snaps in the regular season. During the ensuring playoff run, Williams allowed just 66 receiving yards in three playoff games.
Recently, Bleacher Report compiled a list of every NFL team's "secret weapon", where
