Your daily San Francisco 49ers news for Thursday, March 7th, 2024
Previewing 49ers’ difficult decisions on unrestricted free agents
“Turned out he was a really good scheme fit,” Lynch said of Feliciano at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. “But what we knew every day is, this guy is a glue guy. This is a guy who brings groups together, brings people together. Tough, crusty O-lineman.”
49ers’ free agents: Why Clelin Ferrell needs to stay and Chase Young should go (paywall)
“Without Ferrell, the run defense went from stingy to stunningly bad. In the regular season, the 49ers allowed 89.7 rushing yards per game (third in the NFL) and 4.1 yards per carry (10th). In three playoff games: 149.3 yards per game and 5.1 yards per carry, figures that would have both ranked last in the NFL in the regular season.
Ferrell, the No. 4 pick in 2019 by the Raiders, has failed to meet draft-day expectations in his 13.5-sack career. But he’s elite when it comes to setting the edge, NFL lingo for a defensive end or linebacker’s ability to not allow running backs to get outside of them. It’s gritty and unglamorous work for a pass rusher, and Ferrell’s primary playoff replacements, Young and Randy Gregory, weren’t up to the task.
“Clelin brought probably the best effort of anybody on the team,” pass rusher Nick Bosa said when asked about Ferrell’s absence during the playoffs.”
Build your own 49ers roster: Our beat writers look to reload a Super Bowl contender (paywall)
“Barrows: I stuck with the 49ers’ modus operandi by signing one high-priced defensive free agent: Houston Texans defensive end Jonathan Greenard.”
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