Looking at my 49ers 2022 team needs, with potential targets, & analysis

With the new league year just a little over a month away, I want to take a look at my 2022 offseason team needs.

First, the 49ers are pretty much set with their starters set to return, & of course Trey Lance expected to be the starting QB, with the following under contract for 2022.

QB Trey Lance
RB Elijah Mitchell
FB Kyle Juszczyk
WR Deebo Samuel
WR Brandon Aiyuk
TE George Kittle
LT Trent Williams
C Alex Mack (more on him later)
DE Nick Bosa
DT Arik Armstead
WLB Dre Greenlaw
MLB Fred Warner
CB Ambry Thomas
CB Emmanuel Moseley
FS Jimmie Ward
PK Robbie Gould
P Mitch Wishnowsky
LS Taybor Pepper

While, their 3rd wide receiver Jauan Jennings is a ERFA, while right guard Daniel Brunskill, & stronside linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair are RFAs, so both will be back, with Brunskill not guaranteed a starting spot in my eyes.

The biggest free agents for the 49ers, as far as UFAs are, running backs Raheem Mostert, & Jeff Wilson Jr., left guard Laken Tomlinson, defensive ends Arden Key, & Jordan Willis, nose tackle D.J. Jones, cornerbacks K’Waun Williams, & Jason Verrett, & strong safety Jaquiski Tartt.

Ok, now I’ll be taking a look at both the 49ers most pressing needs, as well as their less pressing needs.

The most pressing needs are below.

#2 Quarterback – The 49ers need to bring in a veteran quarterback to help mentor Trey Lance, as well as back him up, and I think the best option is Houston Texans’ Tyrod Taylor, I believe he can be had on a 1-year, $10 million, but only $5 million counts against the cap, along with $5 million in NLTBE incentives.

Other veteran free agents that interest me, depending on the price, are Denver Broncos’ Teddy Bridgewater, Las Vegas Raiders’ Marcus Mariota, New Orleans Saints’ Jameis Winston, & Chicago Bears’ Andy Dalton.

Now, I am a bit scared with the idea of Jameis Winston, as he’s tore his ACL early in the 2021 season, while I believe that the Broncos, Raiders, Saints, & Bears, who all have new head coaches, will likely bring in their own guy so to speak.

Speedy #4 WR/Return Specialist or a deep threat WR – This a need that the 49ers can either address through free agency, or through the NFL draft, which would likely be either a late day 2 pick, or early day 3 pick, depending of course on who falls in the draft, as for free agency, there are a number of guys I like, Atlanta Falcons’ Cordarrelle Patterson, Chicago Bears’ Jakeem Grant, Dallas Cowboys’ Cedrick Wilson Jr., & New York Jets’ Braxton Berrios being the top 4 free agents that I’d love the 49ers to go after, who have return capability, & experience.

If the 49ers choose to go with a free agent that’s not a returner, I’d like to see them target the likes of Green Bay Packers’ Marquez Valdes-Scantling & Equanimeous St. Brown, Kansas City Chiefs’ Byron Pringle, New Orleans Saints’ Tre’Quan Smith, but they could also go the draft route, likely with a day 3 pick being used.

Interior Offensive Line – Now we all know that the 49ers weakness on the offensive line has been on the interior, mostly on the right side, as Laken Tomlinson has turned into one of the best left guards in the NFL, but it’s not a guarantee that he ends up re-signing, now I have complete faith in Kyle Shanahan, & offensive line coach Chris Foerster to get the most out of recent draft picks Aaron Banks, Colton McKivitz, & Jaylon Moore, so they could possibly have their left guard, & right guard of the future already on the roster.

The 49ers likely won’t be too aggressive in free agency, due to limited cap room, and the need to re-sign their own key free agents(Laken Tomlinson, Arden Key, Jordan Willis, D.J. Jones, & K’Waun Williams), so don’t expect them to pursue Washington Commanders’ Brandon Scherff, as he’ll be looking to get top guard money, in the area of $14 million, to $16 million a year, which is where the likes of Cleveland Browns’ left guard Joel Bitonio, & Kansas City Chiefs’ left guard Joe Thuney at the $16 million a year, while Cleveland Browns’ right guard Wyatt Teller, Philadelphia Eagles’ Brandon Brooks, & Dallas Cowboys’ Zack Martin are all in the $14 million to $14.2 million a year.

If the 49ers are to target a free agent that they’re willing to splurge on, it should be Chicago Bears’ right guard James Daniels, who would shore up the right guard spot, allowing Aaron Banks to move back to his ideal position of left guard, but I doubt the 49ers want to be into a bidding war for him, but they should consider it.

So, I’d expect them to draft someone, with our draft analyst Xander Fisher mocking Oklahoma guard Tyrese Robinson to the 49ers with their 4th-round pick.

As for the center position, the 49ers really need to find that guy that’s the future, while being mentored by Mack, and in fact there are rumors that Alex Mack may end up retiring, but my gut feeling says he’ll be back for 2022, so the 49ers should really invest a high draft pick on a center prospect.

Speedy EDGE rusher – Now the 49ers pass rush really came on towards that stretch run on the way to the playoffs, with guys like Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead, Samson Ebukam, Arden Key, & Jordan Willis all contributing, but with the fact that Dee Ford won’t be back, they need a speedy EDGE rusher to go opposite Bosa, as Ebukam, Key, & Willis aren’t really fits for that spot, & Armstead’s best spot is inside at DT.

Now, if the 49ers decided to go the free agent route, they go after a guy like Cleveland Browns free agent Takkarist McKinley, who the 49ers actually claimed off of waivers back in 2020, but due to a failed physical, by both the Cincinnati Bengals, & the 49ers, he ended up with the Raiders.

If the 49ers want to look at some other veterans, I’d like to see them pursue free agents like Kansas City Chiefs’ Melvin Ingram, Baltimore Ravens’ Justin Houston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Jason Pierre-Paul, & Philadelphia Eagles’ Ryan Kerrigan.

But at the end of the day, I think the 49ers best option is to draft an EDGE rusher somewhere on day 2 of the draft, with  Xander mocking Minnesota’s Boye Mafe to the 49ers at pick 93.

Cornerback – The 49ers need to address the cornerback’s, despite the emergence of Ambry Thomas late in the season, & Emmanuel Moseley coming on during the season, but they could use a potential starter, if they go the free agent route, I like Kansas City Chiefs’ Charvarius Ward, Buffalo Bills’ Levi Wallace, Carolina Panthers’ Donte Jackson, Las Vegas Raiders’ Casey Hayward, Philadelphia Eagles’ Steven Nelson, Green Bay Packers’ Kevin King, Los Angeles Rams’ Darious Williams, as well as Houston Texans’ Desmond King, who was more of a slot corner, but played a bit outside for the Texans, and former 49ers 2018 draft pick, D.J. Reed Jr., who has been with the Seattle Seahawks since 2020 when the 49ers waived Reed, due to roster limits, something they definitely regret doing.

Now I don’t see them being in on the likes of New England Patriots’ J.C. Jackson, & Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Carlton Davis III, as they might end up getting the franchise tag, and if they don’t, there will be a bidding war, something the 49ers can’t get into, not when they could be looking for top cornerback money, near what Jalen Ramsey got.

Also, I don’t expect them to try & sign Carolina Panthers’ Stephon Gilmore, as the rumors are he wants $15 million a year, which is an absurd number for a cornerback in his 30’s, and has injury concerns, something the 49ers need to stop signing, players with injury concerns.

Now, if they go the draft route, which I think is the better solution, it’d have to be with their 2nd-round pick, which Xander has going with Florida’s Kaiir Elam.

The more secondary/lesser pressing needs are below.

Running Back depth – With Raheem Mostert, & Jeff Wilson Jr. set to become free agents, while having Elijah Mitchell, & Trey Sermon under contract, as well as JaMycal Hasty as a ERFA, the 49ers could look to find a late round gem, or UDFA, with Xander mocking Florida International’s D’Vonte Price with the 49ers first 7th-round pick.

Now there is a possibility that either Mostert, or Wilson return, but if they want anything near $5 million a year, there’s no way the 49ers will or should pay a running back, not when just about any running back flourishes in Shanahan’s system, with most being late round picks, or UDFAs.

#3 Tight End– This is something I hope the 49ers address, either in free agency, or the draft, if they go the draft route, it’d be on day 3, as they have more pressing needs for their 3 day 2 picks, as for free agents, the two names I can see the 49ers going after are, Indianapolis Colts’ Mo Alie-Cox, & Atlanta Falcons’ Lee Smith, while in the draft, our own Xander Fisher has them taking Iowa State’s Charlie Kolar with their 6th-round pick.

Interior Defensive Line depth – The 49ers have Arik Armstead, & Javon Kinlaw set to return, while Kevin Givens is an ERFA, so he’ll be back, but the question mark is whether they’ll be able to retain D.J. Jones, but also, they could use an upgrade over a Kentavius Street, & Maurice Hurst Jr., who only played in 3 games, missing 14, plus they need to get bigger guys, and this is an area where I’d expect them to go with a late round pick, or a cheap veteran free agent.

Potential free agent targets would be Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Steve McLendon, Dallas Cowboys’ Carlos Watkins, Denver Broncos’ Shamar Stephen, Arizona Cardinals’ Corey Peters, New York Giants’ Danny Shelton, Miami Dolphins’ John Jenkins, & Las Vegas Raiders’ Gerald McCoy, and these players shouldn’t command that much, likely low risk, high reward 1-year deals, like the 49ers got with Arden Key, Kerry Hyder Jr., Maurice Hurst Jr., & Zach Kerr.

Linebacker depth– Now this is a need, as the team needs to get better backups for their 3 starters, middle linebacker Fred Warner, weakside linebacker Dre Greenlaw, & strongside linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, and I think the best route to do this is through the draft, on day 3, when the 49ers are projected to have 6 picks, a 4th-rounder, a 5th-rounder, a 6th-rounder, & 3 compensatory 7th-rounders, so the team will be able to find some hidden gems, especially with Adam Peters, & their success in the past with the likes of George Kittle, D.J. Jones, Dre Greenlaw, Colton McKivitz, Charlie Woerner, Jauan Jennings, Deommodore Lenoir, Jaylon Moore, Talanoa Hufanga, & Elijah Mitchell.

As for free agents, I can see them going after someone like Minnesota Vikings’ Nick Vigil, & Houston Texans’ Neville Hewitt, who shouldn’t command a lot, but I still think the best route is through the draft.

Safety depth – The 49ers currently have Jimmie Ward, Tarvarius Moore, & Talanoa Hufanga signed for 2022, while Jaquiski Tartt is set to be a unrestricted free agent, and there’s a chance Tartt is brought back, for the right price of course, if not, the 49ers should look to the draft, likely a day 3 pick, with Xander mocking Texas A&M’s Leon O’Neal Jr.

As for free agency, I just don’t see the 49ers dishing out the kind of money that Kansas City Chiefs’ Tyrann Mathieu, Seattle Seahawks’ Quandre Diggs, New York Jets’ Marcus Maye, Cincinnati Bengals’ Jessie Bates III, & New Orleans’ Marcus Williams will command, which will likely be near what Jamal Adams got from the Seahawks.

Some free agents that I could see the 49ers targeting are, Dallas Cowboys’ Malik Hooker, & Jayron Kearse, and Minnesota Vikings’ Xavier Woods, who shouldn’t be that expensive to bring in.

The only position that I’m up in the air about is right tackle, as Mike McGlinchey is coming off of a torn quadriceps, & with his 2022 base salary of $10.88 million, his 5th-year option, being fully guaranteed, it’ll be near impossible to move him without having to give up a high pick for some team to take him, with a guaranteed salary, & just 1-year left on his contract.

So, the 49ers have a dilemma on their hands, they could end up starting Jaylon Moore there, or if they re-sign Tom Compton, or if McGlinchey is able to come back, or it could end up being Daniel Brunskill, but if not, the 49ers would likely look in to the draft, with Xander mocking TCU’s Obinna Eze with the 49ers 5th-round pick.

And, with all of this said, I thank everyone for reading this article, as always you can follow me on Twitter @49erscap, or leave a comment below, and I’ll get back to you.

About Author

Jason Hurley

Die Hard 49ers fan from New York, been covering the 49ers salary cap since 2005, with several different websites, including NinersNation.com, & the now defunct NinerCapHell, I have a track record of being as accurate as possible, & I try to be as thorough as possible.

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