2021 Free Agents:
Stay:
S Jacquiski Tartt - While he's been nicked up here and there, there's no question about his value on the field. Great fit in the scheme and we should try to bring him back if at all possible. Good hitter, good at covering TEs, and a smart player.
CB K'Waun Williams - See above. Same thing with him and Tartt. Both very valuable pieces in their roles.
FB Kyle Juszczyk - Important piece to our entire offense. I don't think Hokit will be ready to replace him, but I'm not there at practice. Kyle is a perennial pro bowler at his position so losing him causes a big drop-off.
DT DJ Jones - As much of a pocket pusher as a run stuffer. Balanced, quality player who we need to keep on if we can.
DE Kerry Hyder - Just a great fit in this scheme and is playing like a starting quality DE right now. Absolutely must re-sign. Looks even better than Blair has in his career here.
WR Tavon Austin - I would give him a shot in camp to compete for the slot and KR/PR duties.
CB Jason Verrett - Likely won't cost that much and has been playing like the starter we knew he could be, if healthy.
QB Nick Mullens (RFA) - Keep him at least until you've got a viable replacement.
CB Emmanuel Moseley (RFA) - Isn't a superstar, but is a legit starting caliber CB. Must tender.
Other RFA/ERFAs to Bring Back for Depth: TE Dwelley, S Marcell Harris, RB Wilson, RB Hasty, OL Brunskill, LS Pepper
Go:
RB Tevin Coleman - Simply put, he is a slightly bigger body with more speed and he can catch, but he has struggled to stay healthy for two years now, and can be replaced by McKinnon/Hasty/Wilson, if not another draft pick in 2021.
CB Richard Sherman - As much as I hate to say it, he too should go. He's struggling with health a lot now too and age isn't on his side when it comes to recovering better. His leadership is huge, but he lacks the range to play FS, and unless you want him at SS on a short term deal (extremely unlikely he plays there), you just can't have him being a liability on the field, especially against speed, going forward.
DT Solomon Thomas - Never worked out as the future edge and was never a dominant force even when he played inside.
WR Trent Taylor - Never had speed to begin with, was never particularly strong, and now after the foot injury seems to lost his best trait of quickness. Simply offers no value now.
CB Ahkello Witherspoon - Soft, no ball skills or awareness whatsoever, streaky at best and loses confidence easily. Easily replaceable.
QB CJ Beathard - Beathard will turn 29 next year. He hasn't had many reps this year, but there hasn't been much evidence that he significantly better than his early years with us. Mullens will be easy to retain for cheap, but I expect the team to look for someone in the draft with starter qualities because we still have no idea if Jimmy is going to work out here. We may keep 3 QBs again, and/or trade Mullens next year.
OL Ben Garland - He's filling in as best he can, but he looks like a backup in a starting position. We should look to go younger.
Others to go but not worth writing about: CB Taylor, C Grasu, CB Johnson, DL Jordan, DL Ansah, OL Compton
Too Soon to Know:
OT Trent Williams - Has had almost as many bad games as good games. We've got to see if he's on the downward decline or if his mistakes are simply anomalies.
WR Kendrick Bourne - Gets open and does make plays sometimes, but continues to drop the ball. Clear #3 at best.
RB Jerick McKinnon - Runs really hard, but we have to see how he finishes out the season. Lacks the speed he used to, but is clearly valuable as a receiver. If we bring him back, it has to be at a reasonable price. We may let him test free agency otherwise.
DE Ronald Blair - He will have to prove he has recovered well from the ACL injury and give us reason to believe he can continue to be a valuable depth piece. At no point has Blair even been on pace for double-digit sacks, and Hyder is playing fantastic football right now. If it came down to it, I would have to pick Kerry over Blair right now. If he does well though, we should try to keep both for depth. Granted, it may be hard to keep Hyder at this rate.
TE Jordan Reed - No guarantee he wants to play anymore after this. He only came for a last shot at the Super Bowl.
Non-FA Underperformers:
DE Dee Ford, WR Dante Pettis, LB Kwon Alexander, QB Jimmy Garoppolo - Pettis just needs to be released, but Dee and Kwon should be cut after June 1st. I understand it doesn't help us with free agents in 2021, but it gives us more room to potentially trade for someone, so it does still help us. Jimmy we need to keep until we clearly have the opportunity to add someone better. You don't just cut him outright or you lose any opportunity you had to win by starting someone who has no business even being in the equation to play.
Our roster will -- as it should -- look VERY different in 2021. Thoughts?
[ Edited by OnTheClock on Oct 15, 2020 at 11:03 AM ]
Finally people are seeing what I am seeing. A nice/solid run blocker who is not a good pass pro.