The 49ers still could use some safety help, and there’s still some names for free agency.
2019 may wind up being the most drawn out year of free agency seen this decade. We’re into Day 4 and there are still some nice names available. Names like Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles, who was released on Wednesday.
Ok, I kid, I kid. But the San Francisco 49ers do need some help at safety. Many were looking at Earl Thomas as the potential fit given the system and the history with 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman. Thomas got paid, signing a deal with the Baltimore Ravens.
So what does that leave? Well, there’s still some options. The 49ers signed Jimmie Ward for one more year and he may be going back to safety since this is an odd-numbered year. Ward has durability issues and can’t be depended on as the sole answer at the position. So what else is there?
The Kansas City Chiefs released Eric Berry on Wednesday. Berry was once a game-changing safety, but his achilles issues in 2018 were nigh maddening for Chiefs fans. He was day-to-day for pretty much the entire season and only played in two games. This is after he was taken out in 2017 in Week 1. There’s a nice segment with Mike Garafolo saying that Berry’s issue isn’t something he can’t play through and he won’t need a procedure.
It’s great that he can play, and he’s right at home playing in a backfield with Richard Sherman and his ankle issues, but achilles injuries are nothing to [site-decorum] with. Even the slightest overuse or sprain can take months, even years to heal, if it ever were to at all. We don’t know the extent of the injury so it’s premature to pass judgment, but it’s definitely risky given how he showed up on the injury report.
Then there’s Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. Clinton-Dix had a chat with Washington earlier on Wednesday and was later linked to the Chicago Bears. He’s been seen by some as a respectable addition to the roster, and others I’ve seen think Clinton-Dix and the 49ers should stay far away from each other.
Do you think the 49ers can get a safety out of free agency? If so who? Or do you think it’s time to start looking towards the draft for that safety?
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