Analysis: K’Waun Williams’ return gives 49ers another boost in free agency
The 49ers entered the offseason with a slew of questions about a number of key free agents.
To date, they’ve answered many of them, including another Wednesday, with an agreement with slot cornerback K’Waun Williams, who is returning to San Francisco on a one-year contract a league source confirmed to The Bee. The news was first reported by NFL Network.
Williams, 29, has become one of the better nickel corners in the NFL over the last few seasons. Pro Football Focus ranked Williams as the eighth-best corner in the NFL when the 49ers reached the Super Bowl in 2019. Though he missed eight games in 2020 with hip and ankle injuries, he was arguably the 49ers’ most important remaining available free agent after defensive lineman Kerry Hyder signed with the rival Seattle Seahawks on Tuesday.
Retaining Williams plugs a significant hole that would have required filling in the secondary for first-year defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans. The 49ers simply didn’t have another established option on the roster if Williams had went to another team, which might have meant using an early draft pick to find a replacement.
General manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan have done well to retain most of their important starters who were unsigned for 2021. Their biggest move, of course, was bringing back left tackle Trent Williams to a record-setting contract.
They also kept fullback Kyle Juszczyk on a five-year deal while bringing back key defensive pieces such as starting cornerbacks Jason Verrett and Emmanuel Moseley, nose tackle D.J. Jones and safety Jaquiski Tartt. Reserve defensive back Dontae Johnson is also returning on a one-year contract to compete for a roster spot, as is defensive end Jordan Willis and new defensive tackle Zach Kerr. New safety Tavon Wilson and receiver Trent Sherfield, who was highly regarded as a gunner with the Arizona Cardinals, will compete for spots on special teams and depth roles.
There are also new players coming in expected to have prominent roles. Veteran Alex Mack, named to the NFL’s all-decade team for the 2010s, is the team’s new center, having played under Shanahan previously with the Cleveland Browns and Atlanta Falcons Super Bowl team of 2016, and new edge rusher Samson Ebukam, who hasn’t missed a game in his four seasons to offer an alternative to oft-injured Dee Ford.
Players that have left or are on their way out: Hyder, receiver Kendrick Bourne (Patriots), cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon (Seahawks), Solomon Thomas (Raiders). Of that group, Bourne and Hyder were the only regular contributor who started games in 2020. Thomas, who tore his ACL in September, and Witherspoon failed to live up their draft statuses as former first- and third-round draft picks in 2017. The 49ers seem poised to replace those players in the upcoming draft in which they have nine selections.
Then there’s future Hall of Famer Richard Sherman, who told The Bee in February he would not be returning to the 49ers. Sherman, who turns 33 next week, has had a quiet free agency to date.
The unusual financial environment played a role in San Francisco’s ability to retain players. The salary cap lowered to $182.5 million per team, down roughly $15 million from projections before the pandemic for 2021. That gave clubs less money to spend in free agency, depressing the market, leading many players to sign short-term contracts hoping they could cash in when the salary cap returns to normal levels in 2022 and 2023.
Perhaps that’s how players like K’Waun Williams, Jones and Tartt returned when in normal offseasons they might have been out of the 49ers’ price range. The team after the first week of free agency had roughly $20 million in cap space, allowing them ample room to bring those players back. Their incoming draft class is expected to cost $9.8 million for the upcoming season, according to Overthecap.com.
Let’s take a look at the team’s projected lineups now that it appears the bulk of their free agent spending is done.
49ers offense
WR: Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Richie James Jr., Jalen Hurd
TE: George Kittle, Ross Dwelley, Charlie Woerner
LT: Trent Williams
LG: Laken Tomlinson
C: Alex Mack
RG: Daniel Brunskill/Colton McKivitz
RT: Mike McGlinchey
RB: Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson Jr.
FB: Kyle Juszczyk
QB: Jimmy Garoppolo
49ers defense
CB: Jason Verrett, Emmanuel Moseley, K’Waun Williams, Dontae Johnson
S: Jimmie Ward, Jaquiski Tartt/Tarvarius Moore
LB: Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw, Azeez Al-Shaair
DE: Nick Bosa, Samson Ebukam/Dee Ford
DT: Arik Armstead, Javon Kinlaw, D.J. Jones/Zach Kerr
It would appear the 49ers plugged many of the holes in their starting lineup during the first two weeks of free agency. They have three capable starting cornerbacks after all their top players at the position were previously unsigned. In Ebukam, they added a replacement for Ford while his future remains up in the air, despite his recent contract restructure, while they expect Bosa back healthy after missing most of 2020 with a Week 2 ACL tear. Most importantly, they retained arguably the best left tackle in the NFL.
What areas should the 49ers target in the upcoming draft?
The good news is they aren’t pigeonholed to one position, which they would have been had Trent Williams left in free agency. Edge rusher, cornerback, offensive line (a right guard who eventual play tackle would make sense) and quarterback top the list of needs.
The quarterback question is a complicated one. The team seems content with Garoppolo, who more than likely would give the team its best chance at competing for a division crown in 2021, particularly if trading for Deshaun Watson is off the table amid his growing sexual misconduct scandal.
The 49ers could conceivably trade up for a quarterback in the upcoming draft, although Shanahan and Lynch haven’t made such a move since getting hired in 2017. And as their roster continues to get more expensive, with Warner due for a market setting contract at some point this offseason, they seem more likely to hold on to their draft capital and try to run it back with Garoppolo, who helped the team reach the Super Bowl after 2019 during his only full season a starter.
Even if they made a move for a first-round quarterback, retaining Garoppolo, and not replacing him, would take the pressure off that rookie to start right away while the team aspires to get back to the Super Bowl.
The team could use a backup quarterback, which they didn’t add during free agency after publicly making it clear they wanted to upgrade their situation over C.J. Beathard and Nick Mullens. Veteran Joe Flacco visited with the team last week but signed Tuesday with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Beathard on Wednesday agreed to a deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars, which could make Gardner Minshew available via trade. Minshew would make sense on a few different levels for the 49ers. He would only cost $850,000 for 2021 if acquired via trade and he’s under contract through 2022 after the Jaguars made him a sixth-round draft choice in 2018. Plus he would likely come cheaper than another option like Sam Darnold, who would reportedly be available for a high second-round pick.
Mullens is working his way back from elbow surgery and recently resumed light throwing. It appears unlikely he’d sign with a team any time soon. The 49ers declined to tender him as a restricted free agent, though he could come back as a third-string option to compete with Josh Rosen and Josh Johnson over the summer.
Like our 49ers coverage? Subscribe to The Bee’s Sports Pass for just $30 a year and don’t miss a thing!
This story was originally published March 25, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
