49ers mailbag: Which free agents should the team prioritize? How to stop Lamar Jackson?

The 49ers and Ravens square off Sunday in Baltimore in one of the most interesting match ups of the year.

But the game comes three days after Thanksgiving, which means Kyle Shanahan will be giving stern instructions to his team this week.

“Sometimes, (players) come in a little more tired, a little heavier, so you really try to stress and hope some of these guys who really enjoy eating don’t get too excited and feel like they have to eat everything that day,” Shanahan said. “We’ll stress that pretty hard.”

But that doesn’t mean the rest of us have to.

To your mailbag questions!

Box Kev asks: How would you prioritize the upcoming 49ers’ free agents in order of likelihood they re-sign and the urgency to do so?

The addition of receiver Emmanuel Sanders took a chunk out of San Francisco’s projected cap space, making it just north of $16 million for 2020, according to Overthecap.com.

That’s obviously not enough for all of San Francisco’s key free agents, a list that includes Sanders.

Defensive lineman Arik Armstead is becoming the team’s most indispensable player set to hit the market. He’s up to double-digit sacks after his sterling performance against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers on Sunday night. He can play defensive tackle or defensive end and he’s outstanding against the run.

Those kind of players typically don’t become available. And, if Armstead gets his way, he’ll look for defensive end designation when it comes to the franchise tag, which could mean a fully guaranteed salary of some $18 million next year if that’s the route the team takes, which the team doesn’t have space for at the moment.

The other key starter slated for free agency is safety Jimmie Ward, who is tied for the league lead at his position with seven pass breakups, according to Pro Football Focus. Being the free safety on the NFL’s best pass defense is a nice thing to put on your resume. Ward has been outstanding this year. So far, it’s been his first healthy season since 2015.

Ward could command a yearly salary between $8 and $10 million, which would put him in the upper echelon at the position. Which, again, doesn’t seem like something San Francisco can afford at the moment.

But here’s the thing: the 49ers frontloaded many of their contracts with guaranteed money up front. Players such as Jimmy Garoppolo, center Weston Richburg and linebacker Kwon Alexander could have money in their contracts moved around to clear up space because the guarantees were pushed toward the first seasons of their respective deals.

Plus the team could clear more room by releasing players like Marquise Goodwin and Jerick McKinnon.

A key question becomes, are there any other starters the 49ers might want to get off the books? Could Jaquiski Tartt, who has one season left on his contract, be replaced by a draft pick? Would another team be willing trade for him to help clear some $5 million off the cap sheet? Could the team attach a draft pick to Solomon Thomas in a trade to get his guaranteed $9 million out of the way?

Suffice to say, the offseason for Paraag Marathe and the 49ers’ front office will be busy. Making things even more complicated is the lack of draft capital. San Francisco doesn’t have picks in Rounds 2 through 4 next spring, which could lead to trading out of the first round entirely to find replacements for some of their key looming free agents.

@dan_man_25 asks: How do you stop MVP Lamar Jackson and this Ravens offense?

If I knew the answer, I’d be in a coaches booth on Sundays and not a press box.

It’s the most vexing question the 49ers will face this season.

Consider: Jackson is tied with Russell Wilson for the league lead with 24 touchdown passes, a very impressive feat for a second-year quarterback. Even more impressive, he’s doing that while on pace to run for 1,280 yards, which would be the most by a quarterback in league history. He’s third in the NFL with a 111.4 passer rating thanks to five interceptions, which all came during weeks 4 and 5.

The Ravens run a similar offense to the 49ers from earlier this decade. Of course, that’s because Greg Roman is Baltimore’s offensive coordinator.

They key to beating those San Francisco teams was stopping the run to force third-and-long situations. The problem is, the Ravens are averaging 5.7 yards per carry, the most in the league, and are the league’s best team on third down, converting more than 50 percent of their attempts. Lamar Jackson is a better runner and passer than Colin Kaepernick.

The 49ers’ weakness on defense, though it’s probably been overstated recently, has been the ability to stop the run. They rank 25th allowing 4.7 yards per carry.

The way to stop the Ravens on Sunday might be to have the best offensive showing of the season, which could be tough with weather reports expecting rain at M&T Bank Stadium. All eyes will be on Jimmy Garoppolo, George Kittle and Co. to overcome a talented Ravens defense that’s allowing just 18.4 points per game, fifth in the league.

Samson Neustrom asks: With the surprise value of Daniel Brunskill and Justin Skule, should we still draft offensive line with our first draft pick, barring we don’t trade back for more picks?

It’s far to early to pigeonhole a position in the draft. As always, the best route is best player available regardless of position.

The 49ers look like they could use a receiver, particularly if Sanders isn’t re-signed. But they might also consider another defensive lineman if Armstead doesn’t come back (tag and trade?). And they might want to think about the future of the secondary with Ward’s lengthy injury history, Tartt’s contract only lasting through 2020 and Richard Sherman’s slow approach to his mid-30s.

As far as offensive line goes, all five starters are signed through at least 2021. I’d wait to see Joe Staley play healthy – his fractured leg was still bothering him during the Seahawks game – before throwing dirt on his grave just yet.

To your point, the development of Brunskill and Skule – and the return of Shon Coleman, whom the 49ers believe is a starting-caliber player – offensive line could be low on the list of priorities.

Sack Francisco asks: Pumpkin pie or sweet potato pie?

Simple answer. Yes.

By the way, Thanksgiving is the best holiday.

Friends, family, food, football, beverages and no needless gifts or waiting in long lines at the mall. It’s impossible to beat.

Cheers to all the readers and followers. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

This story was originally published November 27, 2019 at 4:00 AM.