Five In-House Free Agents the 49ers Should Re-Sign
Free agency is just about a month away.
For the San Francisco 49ers, they have quite the haul of moves to consider.
28 players on the roster are slated to hit free agency. Restricted and exclusive free agents aren't the worry here as there are only seven of them. 21 players are unrestricted, so the 49ers' 2022 roster is going to look a bit different.
Focusing strictly on the unrestricted players, here are the five in-house free agents the 49ers should re-sign.
Raheem Mostert
No running back has looked as ferocious as Mostert running the rock under Kyle Shanahan. This alone warrants re-signing him, and the fact that he is coming off another injury plagued year means he should come at a relatively cheap cost. A one-year deal would most likely be what Mostert would agree to with incentives so that he can give himself more leverage going into 2023 for a juicier deal.
Mostert returning would be fantastic for the 49ers. Having him paired up with Elijah Mitchell could easily make them the best running team in the league. But, of course, it all depends on the health of Mostert. Still, with how dominant of a runner he is with the 49ers, it makes him worth re-signing even with the injury concerns. Mostert is the most no-brainer signing along with this next free agent.
D.J. Jones
D.J. Jones being in the barbeque sauce business makes sense considering how he sauces up opposing linemen. Jones for the majority of the year was the second-best defensive lineman the 49ers had until Arik Armstead finally got kicked inside and flourished. No matter what game you pull up, you'll find a handful of plays where Jones is making an impact. Whether it is against the run or the pass, Jones is there.
DeMeco Ryans could not rave about Jones enough throughout the year. Off the top of my head, it feels like Ryans praised Jones the most and went on longer tangents than any other lineman. That is how highly he thinks of Jones. A player like that is not going anywhere. Ryans and Kris Kocurek are sure to be advocating for the 49ers to bring in this human wrecking ball. Re-signing him will likely take the 49ers a bit of resources, but he'll surely be worth the funds.
Laken Tomlinson
Re-signing Laken Tomlinson feels like a toss up. It is a toss up because the 49ers might not feel he is a top priority player to retain. The logic behind that could be that Tomlinson may be out of their ideal price range for his services and that his ascension could be a result of playing next to Trent Williams. Tomlinson could very well find himself in Miami with Mike McDaniel as they have the means to cash him out and give him familiarity in the offense.
Where I pivot from that perspective is that the 49ers' only other option at left guard is Aaron Banks. At that point, it is all about how comfortable they feel with him starting after redshirting in 2021. Are the 49ers really willing to weaken the left side like that with Trey Lance taking over? It would make more sense to retain Tomlinson to keep that whole left side stable, especially since the left side is questionable. How the 49ers approach Tomlinson and vice versa will be interesting as free agency nears.
Dontae Johnson
The man with a million lives on the 49ers is going to get a million and one with them in March. Or rather, he should at least. I have come around on Dontae Johnson. He is great depth at cornerback for the 49ers. He is capable of stepping in at outside or nickel corner and plays decently. That is incredible versatility and depth to have a player like that. Teams around the league would love such a flexible player.
I would imagine the 49ers acknowledge that fact and will try to re-sign him. Plus, Emmanuel Moseley is a sneaky injury prone player and you never know with Ambry Thomas who finished the season banged up. Johnson is actually carrying some prioritization going into free agency for me, especially if the 49ers let Jason Verrett and K'Waun Williams walk.
Arden Key
By far the best free agent signing for the 49ers, and arguably the NFL, last offseason was Arden Key. To get the production and impact he made at his salary was an absolute steal. Now, Key is going to make up for that with a sweeter deal that he rightfully deserves. The question is how much will he try to look for and will he be willing to work with the 49ers to stay aboard? There are plenty of linemen who have come and gone with the 49ers only to level off when they leave.
That is the product of having Kris Kocurek who is a phenomenal defensive line coach. Working with him and given how happy he has been since he joined the 49ers could entice Key to stay on. But I wouldn't blame Key to look elsewhere. I think Key could get around what Denico Autry of the Titans is seeing at $7 million per. That is a number that I don't believe the 49ers will or should commit to unless they can get Paraag Marathe to work his magic.
