As the San Francisco 49ers prepare for free agency, they should take inspiration from two teams who enjoyed deep playoff runs this season.
With Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback and Kyle Shanahan at head coach, the San Francisco 49ers do not look that far away from being able to contend for a Super Bowl again. Having gone from one of the worst offenses in the league to one that finished 12th in the NFL in points per game following Garoppolo’s ascension to the starting role, it is clear the 49ers have the quarterback and coach to be one of the premier offenses in 2018.
But this is a team that still has plenty of holes to fill to challenge for the Lombardi Trophy again and, as the Niners approach free agency, they can take inspiration from two teams who played on Championship Sunday and who would have been playing each other in the Super Bowl if not for some Tom Brady heroics.
Both the Philadelphia Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars were aggressive in free agency and the trade market in constructing rosters capable of deep playoff runs. Thus, they provided a blueprint for 49ers general manager John Lynch, who has over $100 million in cap space to work with, to follow in 2018.
Last offseason, the Jaguars, having stockpiled defensive talent in recent drafts, went out and added Calais Campbell, A.J. Bouye and Barry Church in free agency. Veteran defensive end Campbell enjoyed a career year with 14.5 sacks while Bouye formed the best cornerback tandem in the NFL with Jalen Ramsey, picking off six passes, and safety Church ended the year with four picks, earning an impressive 83.2 grade from Pro Football Focus Edge.
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A mid-season trade for Marcell Dareus also provided some steel against the run and, with talent on every level of this unit, the Jaguars’ defense is set up to have success for years to come, even if it did collapse against Garoppolo and the 49ers in Week 16.
Few defenses can claim to be superior to that of the Jaguars, but the Eagles can make such a boast, with their success in shutting down the Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings en route to the Super Bowl owing much to an impressive offseason.
Corner Patrick Robinson, who had a pick-six against the Vikings, and veteran defensive lineman Chris Long were added in free agency, the latter showing he can still be a difference-maker by forcing four fumbles. Trades for corner Ronald Darby and Tim Jernigan also proved hugely impactful, with Jernigan’s arrival pivotal to the success of a defensive line that goes three rotations deep.
Jernigan has established himself as one of the better interior defensive linemen in the league, proving a force against the run and the pass, and was signed to a four-year extension two months ago.
The Eagles, who also made a smart move in the draft by selecting edge rusher Derek Barnett with their first-round pick, utilized free agency and the trade market to bolster the offense as well as their defense.
The trade-deadline move for Jay Ajayi was the main non-Garoppolo deal to grab the headlines in October, but the offseason signings of Alshon Jeffery and former 49er Torrey Smith gave Carson Wentz and now Nick Foles two big receiving targets who carry a downfield threat.
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San Francisco could also serve to improve their talent at the skill positions on offense, with receivers such as Allen Robinson and Sammy Watkins set to hit the open market, but it is on defense where an aggressive strategy in free agency may be most beneficial.
With defensive linemen DeForest Buckner, Solomon Thomas and Arik Armstead, linebacker Reuben Foster, corner Ahkello Witherspoon and safeties Jaquiski Tartt and Adrian Colbert, the 49ers’ defense has plenty of blossoming young talent. What Robert Saleh’s unit somewhat lacks is experience, and the Niners could be about to lose one of their defensive leaders should Eric Reid be allowed to hit the open market.
They can address that paucity of experience and fill holes at key positions in the process. Detroit Lions edge rusher Ezekiel Ansah has already been a name linked with the 49ers, while Trumaine Johnson and Malcolm Butler could well be available at cornerback.
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An underrated member of the Eagle defense, Nigel Bradham, could offer more depth at linebacker next to Foster and Malcolm Smith but, regardless of who Lynch and Shanahan decide to pursue, they need to look at the excellent seasons enjoyed by Jacksonville and Philadelphia and be inspired to copy their formula.
Smart drafting is how great teams are built, but they are supplemented through free agency. If the 49ers want to be considered legitimate contenders for Super Bowl LIII, then an aggressive free agency strategy is required to take them to another level.