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Should the 49ers Sign Free Agent Safety Julian Blackmon?

The 49ers currently have the worst starting safety tandem in the NFC West.
Grant Cohn|
Sep 22, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts safety Julian Blackmon (32) celebrates with Indianapolis Colts cornerback Jaylon Jones (40) and Jones’ interception during a game against the Chicago Bears at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Grace Hollars USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images
Sep 22, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts safety Julian Blackmon (32) celebrates with Indianapolis Colts cornerback Jaylon Jones (40) and Jones’ interception during a game against the Chicago Bears at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Grace Hollars USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images | Grace Hollars USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

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San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers currently have the worst starting safety tandem in the NFC West.

Malik Mustapha most likely will miss at least the few first games of the season as he recovers from a torn ACL he suffered in Week 18. He's a good player. Without him, the 49ers starting safeties most likely will be Ji'Ayir Brown and Jason Pinnock. Not great.

Fortunately for the 49ers, they have the third-most effective cap space in the NFL right now and some quality starting safeties are available. According to Bleacher Report, Julian Blackmon is one of the best still on the market.

"Still in his prime, Julian Blackmon should be on a team by now," writes Bleacher Report's Moe Moton. "Though he's spotty with his consistency in deep coverage, the 26-year-old has made several plays on the ball over the last two seasons, recording 12 pass breakups and seven interceptions.

"In recent years, Blackmon has also made plays in run support. In 2023, he logged a significantly higher number of total tackles compared to his first three seasons and registered a career-high five tackles for loss.

"Blackmon still has some upside as a safety who can play in deep coverage and fill the box on early downs."

Blackmon is unquestionably better than both Brown and Pinnock. Plus Blackmon played under 49ers assistant head coach Gus Bradley the past few seasons when Bradley was the defensive coordinator for the Colts.

I'm guessing the only reason Blackmon is still unemployed is his asking price. Once he lowers it, the 49ers should sign him.

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Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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