Several free agent reunions could be on the table for the San Francisco 49ers this offseason
The San Francisco 49ers don't have a lot of wiggle room to work with in free agency as they attempt to keep their loaded roster in the best spot to get back to the Super Bowl. Per Over The Cap, the 49ers are projected to be $12.5 million over an assumed salary cap of $242 […]
The San Francisco 49ers don't have a lot of wiggle room to work with in free agency as they attempt to keep their loaded roster in the best spot to get back to the Super Bowl.
Per Over The Cap, the 49ers are projected to be $12.5 million over an assumed salary cap of $242 million.
As such, it's unlikely they will be spending at the top end of the market in free agency. Instead, their focus may well be on finding affordable contributors to supplement their star-studded roster.
And it just so happens that, in this offseason, the best approach may be to reunite with a trio of defensive players familiar with the system set to hit the open market.
K'Waun Williams
The 49ers' starting slot corner between 2017 and 2021, Williams is 32 and coming off a 2023 season for the Denver Broncos derailed by an ankle injury.
That makes him a risk, but also an affordable option for a 49ers team that doesn't have a clear solution at slot corner going into 2024. They rotated Deommodore Lenoir between outside corner on base downs and the slot on nickel downs in the second half of the season. However, a loss of faith in Ambry Thomas to start on the outside in nickel led to veteran Logan Ryan starting in the slot in the Super Bowl.
San Francisco needs a slot corner on whom it can rely. Williams was that for them during his five-season spell with the Niners. If it is supplemented by the grooming of a potential heir apparent, a reunion with Williams on a short-term deal would make a lot of sense.
Emmanuel Moseley
The 49ers only lost Moseley last offseason as he signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Lions after tearing his left ACL in his final season with San Francisco in 2022.
Moseley has been spectacularly unlucky, and tore the ACL in his right knee just two snaps into his career with the Lions.
As a result, he is unlikely to net anything more than a prove-it deal from teams willing to take a chance on a player with two significant knee injuries in as many years. The Lions may well be at the front of the queue to bring him back following their struggles in the secondary last year. However, the Niners have reason to have interest too.
Moseley was an excellent undrafted free agent find for the 49ers in 2018. A key player in the 2019 Super Bowl team, he had his best season in 2021, when he allowed only 5.8 yards per target and a passer rating of just 65.6.
While the 49ers have their starters on the outside in Lenoir and Charvarius Ward, Moseley would have significant appeal to San Francisco because of his past success and, more crucially, his ability to play inside and out. He would give the 49ers the flexibility to move Lenoir inside and not have to rely on a player in Thomas who continues to be far too inconsistent to trust completely.
The injuries make Moseley a gamble but, still only 27, the 49ers have more than enough information to know he is worth it.
Azeez Al-Shaair
Potentially the player the 49ers would have the most interest in bringing back, Al-Shaair is another who left San Francisco in free agency last year.
He signed a one-year deal with the Tennessee Titans, but was back on the sideline at Levi's Stadium in January to support his former 49ers teammates in the NFC Championship Game.
Now, with Dre Greenlaw facing a long recovery after tearing his Achilles in unbelievable circumstances in the Super Bowl, Al-Shaair should be a leading candidate to help them fill the void.
Al-Shaair was sixth in the NFL in tackles among linebackers in 2023 with 108 and was tied ninth with 56 stops that constituted a failure for the offense, per Pro Football Focus.
A former safety who can hold up in coverage but is also excellent playing downhill against the run and can make an impact as a blitzer, Al-Shaair is likely to have plenty of suitors.
That may make him the most difficult of this group of three to sign but, with the chance to start next to Warner as Greenlaw recovers, a return to the team that gave him a shot as a UDFA might be the most appealing option for Al-Shaair.
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