The 49ers Should Sign Markus Golden... Now!

The 49ers have roughly $16.6 million dollars in cap space, per Over The Cap. And they should spend some of that money on versatile pass rusher Markus Golden.

Last season, the 49ers' defense was a dominant force when Dee Ford was on the field. Unfortunately for the 49ers, the pass rush and entire defense experienced a substantial drop-off during Ford’s absence.

One of the largest areas of concern for the 49ers entering the 2020 season is that there is no depth behind Ford (read why here). Ford is the only established, consistent speed rusher on the team. It seems very plausible that the 49ers’ defense will take similar steps back if Ford is to miss any amount of time this upcoming season.

Even with Ronald Blair returning, and the addition of Kerry Hyder, speed behind Ford is still missing. The speed Ford possesses is the key that unlocks the 49ers’ defense and makes it extremely challenging to score on.

Given Ford’s ongoing health concerns, John Lynch should invest in a Dee Ford insurance policy. And that insurance policy should be free agent Markus Golden. Golden is coming off one of his best seasons in the NFL, where he recorded double-digit sacks for the New York Giants.

Golden might sound very familiar, as he spent his first four seasons in the NFL playing for the division rival Arizona Cardinals. His best season with the Cardinals was in 2016, when he registered 12.5 sacks. Golden comes with an injury past in his own right. In 2017, he tore his ACL in an overtime win against the 49ers.

However, two years removed from the ACL injury, Golden appears fully recovered. He played in all 16 games for the Giants last season, while playing the highest volume of snaps in his career. Golden was an every-down player with the Giants, whereas with the Cardinals he was used more sparingly.

Golden’s role with the 49ers most likely would serve as a situational and rotational pass rusher. Last season with the 49ers, Ford played about 40% of the defensive snaps per game when healthy. Last season with the Giants, Golden played about 70% of the defensive snaps per game.

Golden is a very versatile pass rusher, and in the NFL you can never have too many pass rushers. Adding Golden would be a huge addition to the 49ers’ defense. The ideal scenario is that Golden and Ford split snaps on passing down, which shouldn’t be a problem.

Despite his low snap count last season, Ford was still extremely effective and efficient in his role. The less Ford is on the field, the less likely it is for him to get injured. Having Golden and Ford rotate with one another is a fantastic way to keep Ford fresh and healthy. Or, worse case scenario, Golden is there to take over Ford’s role should he miss any games.

The Giants paid Golden just under $5 million last season, and Golden has made a shade less than $9 million for his career. How much would signing Golden cost the 49ers? My guess is it would be in the $5 million to $6.5 million range, as a one-year deal. This would put the 49ers up close against the cap, but hopefully leave enough wiggle room to work out a Kittle extension.

Imagine if the 49ers had one more pass rusher to rotate in when the defensive line was dog-tired in the Super Bowl. Well, your one-more-pass-rusher is on the market.

Make it happen, Mr. Lynch.

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