Should the 49ers Sign DeAndre Hopkins?
The San Francisco 49ers continue to thrive from being in the NFC West.
On Friday, the Arizona Cardinals released veteran wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Since their offseason began, the Cardinals have been trying to trade Hopkins, but could not get a team to buy in. Given the expensive contract Hopkins holds and his age, it made no sense for a team to take that on along with forfeiting draft capital.
Hopkins is now a free agent with the ability to sign for a fairly cheap deal because the Cardinals are on the hook for his 2023 salary. This makes a scenario where the 49ers signing him a reality, so should the 49ers sign Hopkins?
Well, can he rush the passer? Can he protect the quarterback? Call me crazy, but I don't think so. Signing Hopkins would be great value right now and it would make for a great tease to the Cardinals. Still, the 49ers do not need Hopkins or any other wide receiver for that matter.
What they need to be allocating their remaining salary cap space to is a pass rusher on the edge. There are still plenty of solid edge rushers out on the free agent market that the 49ers can target. Yannick Ngakoue is the most notable one available among them, but it just shows how there is still a quality pool of players to sign at this position.
This is where the 49ers can use a boost, not with a wide receiver, even with Hopkins being as good as he is. The only issues the 49ers have on offense are the quarterback and right tackle positions. Everything else is fine for now with receiver being the least of their worries. If anything, that is one of their more oversaturated positions. Edge rusher, however, is not. At least signing one will act as a hedge if Drake Jackson doesn't elevate this season.
Again, Hopkins is sweet and would be a great addition to any playoff contender. He's just not the right fit for the 49ers with a couple of other areas needing attention.
