There’s a small free agency wave that comes in the NFL after the draft ends and free agents no longer factor into the compensatory pick formula. This is where teams can help the margins of their roster with quality, if not elite, talent still available. We identified seven free agents the 49ers should kick tires on, and now two of them have agreed to deals with new clubs that are most certainly not the 49ers.
Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. made our list (mostly as a joke since he’s been connected to the 49ers seemingly every offseason for the last six years), but he is set to join the Miami Dolphins, per NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero.
Beckham, 31, spent last season with the Ravens and posted 35 catches for 565 yards and three touchdowns in 14 games.
The other player was former Jaguars defensive end Dawuane Smoot, who signed with the Buffalo Bills. This was a more earnest inclusion in our free agent list since San Francisco could use depth on the edge. Smoot, 29, had 23.5 sacks in eight seasons with Jacksonville.
There are still a handful of free agents who could help the 49ers this year, particularly on the offensive line and in the secondary.
We’ll keep a close eye on those players as we move through the offseason program.
