Where Jordan Elliott Fits into the 49ers' Offseason Plans

Is Elliott expendable?

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The San Francisco 49ers signed Jordan Elliott to a two-year deal after a disappointing run with the Cleveland Browns. While he did play 957 snaps over the past two seasons with the 49ers, he also failed to register a sack. Now that Elliott is a free agent, it may end with both sides going in different directions.

Should the San Francisco 49ers re-sign Jordan Elliott in free agency?

The case to re-sign him may be simple. His value likely depreciated. Elliott signed a two-year deal worth $7M, so the Average Annual Value was $3. Last year, he was on the cap for $3.4M. This year, Spotrac has him projected to get $1.9M on a one-year deal.

That is not only doable, but it is also insignificant to the rest of their plans. The 49ers can bring back Elliott and still look to upgrade from him. It is about half of what he was making last year, so without asking for nearly as much in return, he could find a role.

On the other end, the 49ers might as well just save up and put the money into actual upgrades on the interior. According to PFF, Elliott ranked 76th out of 100 qualified interior rushers in pass rush win rate and 83rd in pressures. 

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He also ranked 78th out of 82 interior lineman when it comes to run stop rate. He was hurting more than helping on the field.

Interior linemen who are currently set to be free agents and may be upgrades over Elliott include DJ Reader, David Onyemata, DaQuan Jones, Calais Campbell, John Franklin-Meyers, Sheldon Rankins, DaShawn Hand, Levi Onwurukwe, and Shelby Harris. Looking at their projected salaries on Spotac shows that none of them are over $8M per year, and the majority are in the $3-4M range that the team paid Elliott last year. 

The 49ers are likely best off adding a free agent from this group, drafting an interior defensive lineman, and then watching Alfred Collins and CJ West grow in Year 2. It seems to be the easiest path to remake the room in one offseason. 

The San Francisco 49ers had awful luck with depth, so it would not be a shock if Elliott were back, but they have to sign him with the intention that he is depth, and they still need to upgrade over him. In all likelihood, he played his last down with the team.