Free agents 49ers could target

We interrupt your regularly scheduled NFL draft discussion to bring you a special report about free agency.

During the combine, which ended Monday, the focus of the NFL offseason shifts to the amateur athletes who will become pros after the draft. But the draft won’t start until April 25. Free agency will start next Wednesday - March 13. And the “legal tampering” period begins two days prior - March 11. That’s when teams begin negotiating contracts with unrestricted free agents.

Every NFL team, including the 49ers, is laser-focused on free agency right now. They’re ranking the free agents and identifying which ones to target. The amateur football players can wait.

The 49ers currently have more than $69 million in cap space - sixth most in the NFL. With that in mind, here are five free agents the 49ers should want.

Dante Fowler, ?defensive end

Fowler is a 24-year-old productive, talented edge-rusher who was the third pick in the 2015 draft. Players like him rarely hit the free-agent market.

A good, young edge rusher usually signs a long-term extension or the franchise tag with the team that drafted him. Which means most edge rushers who hit the market are no good, or old and past their prime.

Fowler hasn’t even reached his prime yet. He missed his rookie season after tearing his ACL, and didn’t play well his first season back from the injury. But in 2017, he recorded eight sacks and 10 quarterback hits for the Jaguars, who advanced to the AFC championship game. Fowler helped them get there.

In 2018, the Jaguars fell apart, so they traded Fowler at the deadline to a team in Super Bowl contention - the LA Rams. This time, Fowler helped the Rams reach the Super Bowl. His biggest play came in overtime of the divisional round, when he hit New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees and caused him to throw an interception.

The Rams can’t afford to re-sign Fowler, but the 49ers can afford him. He should be their top target in free agency.

Eric Weddle, free safety

The Ravens surprisingly cut Weddle on Tuesday. He was a key member of their top-ranked defense last season.

Weddle has made the Pro Bowl six times, including each of the past three seasons. And he has intercepted 29 passes since entering the league in 2007. He has a tremendous amount of experience, has missed only four games in his 12-year career and is a quality player still, even though he’s 34.

If the 49ers plan to draft a free safety and groom him on the bench for a year or two, they should sign Weddle to a short-term deal. He would help the young defensive back develop. But, if the 49ers don’t plan to draft a free safety, they should sign someone other than Weddle. Someone for the long term.

Tre Boston, free safety

Boston is the long-term option.

He’s 26, entering his prime. Last season, he played for the Cardinals and intercepted three passes in 14 games. The previous season, 2017, he played free safety for the Chargers, who use the same defensive scheme as the 49ers, and intercepted five passes in 16 games.

The 49ers haven’t had a player intercept five passes in a season since cornerback Perrish Cox in 2014. Last season, they intercepted two passes total as a team. Boston would fill a huge need for them.

And he probably will be cheap. As a former fourth-round pick, Boston has earned $5.3 million in five NFL seasons, and has played each of the past two seasons on inexpensive one-year deals. If the 49ers want him, they probably can get him for a reasonable rate.

Bradley Roby, ?cornerback

Last season, the 49ers lost games because they had just one NFL-quality cornerback - Richard Sherman. With the game on the line, opposing teams would line up their best receiver across from the 49ers other cornerback, whether it was Jimmie Ward, Ahkello Witherspoon or Tarvarius Moore, and beat that player.

The 49ers have to find a starting-caliber corner to pair with Sherman.

Roby is a starting-caliber corner. In 2018, he started 15 games for the Broncos and broke up 12 passes. The previous season, he broke up 17 passes - tied for 11th most in the NFL.

Roby, 26, is a former first-round pick. The Broncos took with the 31st selection of the 2014 draft, one pick after the 49ers took Jimmie Ward, a pending free agent. The 49ers made a mistake and picked the wrong guy. They can correct their mistake by signing Roby.

Tyrell Williams, ?wide receiver

Most analysts expect the 49ers to sign or draft a possession receiver to replace veteran Pierre Garcon, whom the team plans to release.

But if they also plan to remove Marquise Goodwin from the starting lineup, as Kyle Shanahan said they would back in December, then the 49ers will need someone who can flat-out run, stretch the defense and clear out space for other receivers. Shanahan’s play-action passes require a fast receiver.

Tyrell Williams is fast. He ran a 4.43 40-yard dash at his Pro Day in 2015. And in four seasons with the Chargers, he averaged a whopping 16.3 yards per catch and scored 17 touchdowns.

But Williams isn’t just a speed receiver. He’s big, too - 6-4, 205 pounds. And he can run over the middle and make catches in the red zone. He can do everything a receiver needs to do. He’s a potential go-to guy, who was stuck behind two talented receivers on the Chargers.

Williams may be the top receiver on the market. If the 49ers want him, they’ll have to bid against other teams and pay big money. Fortunately for the 49ers, they have big money to pay.

Grant Cohn covers the 49ers and Bay Area sports for The Press Democrat and pressdemocrat.com in Santa Rosa. You can reach him at grantcohn@gmail.com.

We interrupt your regularly scheduled NFL draft discussion to bring you a special report about free agency.

During the combine, which ended Monday, the focus of the NFL offseason shifts to the amateur athletes who will become pros after the draft. But the draft won’t start until April 25. Free agency will start next Wednesday - March 13. And the “legal tampering” period begins two days prior - March 11. That’s when teams begin negotiating contracts with unrestricted free agents.

Every NFL team, including the 49ers, is laser-focused on free agency right now. They’re ranking the free agents and identifying which ones to target. The amateur football players can wait.

The 49ers currently have more than $69 million in cap space - sixth most in the NFL. With that in mind, here are five free agents the 49ers should want.

Dante Fowler, defensive end

Fowler is a 24-year-old productive, talented edge-rusher who was the third pick in the 2015 draft. Players like him rarely hit the free-agent market.

A good, young edge rusher usually signs a long-term extension or the franchise tag with the team that drafted him. Which means most edge rushers who hit the market are no good, or old and past their prime.

Fowler hasn’t even reached his prime yet. He missed his rookie season after tearing his ACL, and didn’t play well his first season back from the injury. But in 2017, he recorded eight sacks and 10 quarterback hits for the Jaguars, who advanced to the AFC championship game. Fowler helped them get there.

In 2018, the Jaguars fell apart, so they traded Fowler at the deadline to a team in Super Bowl contention - the LA Rams. This time, Fowler helped the Rams reach the Super Bowl. His biggest play came in overtime of the divisional round, when he hit New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees and caused him to throw an interception.

The Rams can’t afford to re-sign Fowler, but the 49ers can afford him. He should be their top target in free agency.

Eric Weddle, free safety

The Ravens surprisingly cut Weddle on Tuesday. He was a key member of their top-ranked defense last season.

Weddle has made the Pro Bowl six times, including each of the past three seasons. And he has intercepted 29 passes since entering the league in 2007. He has a tremendous amount of experience, has missed only four games in his 12-year career and is a quality player still, even though he’s 34.

If the 49ers plan to draft a free safety and groom him on the bench for a year or two, they should sign Weddle to a short-term deal. He would help the young defensive back develop. But, if the 49ers don’t plan to draft a free safety, they should sign someone other than Weddle. Someone for the long term.

Tre Boston, free safety

Boston is the long-term option.

He’s 26, entering his prime. Last season, he played for the Cardinals and intercepted three passes in 14 games. The previous season, 2017, he played free safety for the Chargers, who use the same defensive scheme as the 49ers, and intercepted five passes in 16 games.

The 49ers haven’t had a player intercept five passes in a season since cornerback Perrish Cox in 2014. Last season, they intercepted two passes total as a team. Boston would fill a huge need for them.

And he probably will be cheap. As a former fourth-round pick, Boston has earned $5.3 million in five NFL seasons, and has played each of the past two seasons on inexpensive one-year deals. If the 49ers want him, they probably can get him for a reasonable rate.

Bradley Roby, cornerback

Last season, the 49ers lost games because they had just one NFL-quality cornerback - Richard Sherman. With the game on the line, opposing teams would line up their best receiver across from the 49ers other cornerback, whether it was Jimmie Ward, Ahkello Witherspoon or Tarvarius Moore, and beat that player.

The 49ers have to find a starting-caliber corner to pair with Sherman.

Roby is a starting-caliber corner. In 2018, he started 15 games for the Broncos and broke up 12 passes. The previous season, he broke up 17 passes - tied for 11th most in the NFL.

Roby, 26, is a former first-round pick. The Broncos took with the 31st selection of the 2014 draft, one pick after the 49ers took Jimmie Ward, a pending free agent. The 49ers made a mistake and picked the wrong guy. They can correct their mistake by signing Roby.

Tyrell Williams, ?wide receiver

Most analysts expect the 49ers to sign or draft a possession receiver to replace veteran Pierre Garcon, whom the team plans to release.

But if they also plan to remove Marquise Goodwin from the starting lineup, as Kyle Shanahan said they would back in December, then the 49ers will need someone who can flat-out run, stretch the defense and clear out space for other receivers. Shanahan’s play-action passes require a fast receiver.

Tyrell Williams is fast. He ran a 4.43 40-yard dash at his Pro Day in 2015. And in four seasons with the Chargers, he averaged a whopping 16.3 yards per catch and scored 17 touchdowns.

But Williams isn’t just a speed receiver. He’s big, too - 6-4, 205 pounds. And he can run over the middle and make catches in the red zone. He can do everything a receiver needs to do. He’s a potential go-to guy, who was stuck behind two talented receivers on the Chargers.

Williams may be the top receiver on the market. If the 49ers want him, they’ll have to bid against other teams and pay big money. Fortunately for the 49ers, they have big money to pay.

Grant Cohn covers the 49ers and Bay Area sports for The Press Democrat and pressdemocrat.com in Santa Rosa. You can reach him at grantcohn@gmail.com.