The 49ers' best and worst free agent signings at midseason
Week 9 is over and done with. Now it's time for us to look back at the first half of the San Francisco 49ers’ season. All this week we're going to be doing a series of midseason articles. We'll be talking about both the good and the bad of this year so far. Here's what […]
Week 9 is over and done with. Now it's time for us to look back at the first half of the San Francisco 49ers’ season. All this week we're going to be doing a series of midseason articles. We'll be talking about both the good and the bad of this year so far. Here's what we've done so far:
In this piece, we're looking at the best and worst free agent signings made by San Francisco.
The 49ers didn't need to make too many acquisitions in free agency this year, but they made two prominent ones that have already had huge and contrasting impacts on their fortunes this season.
San Francisco stands at 5-3 coming out of the bye, the 49ers on a three-game losing streak for which both of their top free agent signings bear some responsibility.
But as the Niners look to get on the right path towards the Super Bowl, it is clear one of those acquisitions has a much better shot of having a positive influence than the other, at least based on performances across the first eight games.
Best: Javon Hargrave
There weren’t many other candidates who have played significant snaps. Still despite recent struggles by the 49ers’ defensive line and Hargrave going four games without a sack, it is worth highlighting that the blockbuster addition of the former Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle has been a successful one.
Simply put, San Francisco’s interior pass rush did not exist for large periods of last season. This year, with Hargrave and a healthy Arik Armstead manning the defensive tackle spots for the most part, it is a prominent feature of every 49ers’ defensive performance.
Among defensive interior players with at least 100 pass rush snaps, Hargrave (17.4%) is sixth in pass rush win rate, per Pro Football Focus, and ranks third in pass rush grade behind only Dexter Lawrence and Aaron Donald.
The problem for Hargrave of late is that those pressures have not translated into him getting home and bringing down the quarterback. Yet that is not an issue unique to him, and with Chase Young entering the fray on the edge after his trade deadline acquisition, Hargrave should be able to benefit from more one on ones and make his numbers more reflective of the performances he has been delivering.
Where there is room for improvement is against the run. Hargrave, per PFF, has only six run stops that represented a failure for the offense. However, that is still the most among players on the interior defensive line, illustrating the need for every member of that group to make strides in an area of the game that has often served as a surprising weakness for the San Francisco defense this campaign.
The smart money says the group will find solutions both to their problems converting pressures and in making an impact against the run. The four-year, $84 million contract given to Hargrave in free agency was a wise investment and should look that way come the end of the year.
Worst: Isaiah Oliver
The 49ers gave substantially less money to Oliver to be a starter in a similarly important role for San Francisco, agreeing to pay him $12 million over two years.
Right now the Niners may well be questioning that decision to sign Oliver as their starting slot corner, as it is a choice that has so far delivered returns that can at best be described as mixed.
The warning signs were there when Oliver struggled mightily in preseason against the Las Vegas Raiders. The Niners subsequently elected to settle on a nickel corner timeshare between Oliver and starting outside corner Deommodore Lenoir.
But an injury to Ambry Thomas that prevented Lenoir from sliding inside, combined with an impressive showing by Oliver in Week 2 against the Los Angeles Rams, led the Niners to revert to what was always likely their initial plan.
However, Oliver’s form in coverage has tailed off dramatically of late, to the point where he allowed a catch on all of his eight targets against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 8, giving up 71 yards and a touchdown on which he was burned by a Ja'Marr Chase slot fade.
Oliver stood out in a positive fashion as an open-field tackler, but that cannot gloss over his problems in pass defense. If he cannot improve in that area in the coming weeks, the 49ers may be forced to make a change and put their faith in someone else to man a critical position in the secondary that is a glaring weakness going into the second half of the year.
NFC playoff picture gives the 49ers reason for optimism despite slump
They’re in a good spot heading out of Week 9.
