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Who was the 49ers' Best 2024 Free Agent Signing?

Of all the players the 49ers signed in free agency in 2024, this is the player that Pro Football Focus claims was their best addition.
Jose Sanchez|
Dec 30, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers cornerback Isaac Yiadom (22) during the game against the Detroit Lions at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images
Dec 30, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers cornerback Isaac Yiadom (22) during the game against the Detroit Lions at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

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San Francisco 49ers

When reviewing what went wrong for the San Francisco 49ers in 2024, one of the first things to comb over is their handling of free agency.

They didn't bring in any impactful guys to uplift them. So, when all of their stars were out due to injury, it forced those players to do more than expected. It didn't pan out, and the 49ers paid for it. However, free agency was a total loss for the 49ers. They did have one solid addition.

Who was the 49ers' best 2024 free agent signing?

If you ask Pro Football Focus, they will say it was cornerback Isaac Yiadom. Here is their explanation on naming Yiadom as the 49ers' best 2024 free agent signing.

"The 49ers quietly had a relatively unproductive free-agent class this season. Yiadom was one of the better players, but even his production is highlighted by a 76.1 run-defense grade that doesn’t do much to counter his 55.3 coverage grade."

Basically, Yiadom wasn't a good free agent signing. He is just not their worst one, which is indicative of how bad the free agency period was for the 49ers last year. However, there is one free agent the 49ers signed last year who was worth his salt.

Pass rusher Leonard Floyd deserves more credit. He wasn't a significantly impactful player, but he was never brought on to be that. The hope was that he could give the 49ers a double-digit sack season to compliment Nick Bosa.

The problem with that was Bosa missed a chunk of the season due to a hip injury. It placed Floyd at the forefront of the attention for offenses to scheme around. And yet, that didn't stop Floyd from stepping up with Bosa out.

Entering Week 15, Floyd generated 15 pressures (tied-13th most) and recorded 5.5 sacks (most) with Bosa out. He tried his best through a valiant effort. Floyd should be commended for that since he wasn't meant to be the lead pass rusher.

2025 will provide Floyd with a better chance to increase his efficiency with a healthy Bosa and hopefully more talent on the defensive line.

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Jose Luis Sanchez III
JOSE SANCHEZ

Jose Luis Sanchez III has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily for FanNation since 2019. He started off as the lead publisher for FanNation's All49ers, then switched positions to become the Deputy Editor in 2020. Sanchez writes, edits, and produces videos daily for All49ers. He also co-hosts a show on YouTube with All49ers lead publisher Grant Cohn weekly. Prior to FanNation, Sanchez started his writing career back in 2016 for the school newspaper at Skyline college where he covered all sports team in the Bay Area. Following that from 2017 to 2019, he found a role as a contributor for FanSided's news desk along with their site's Just Blog Baby covering the Las Vegas Raiders and Golden Gate Sports every professional Bay Area sports team. Atop all of that, he was able to graduate with a Bachelors degree in Communication Studies at San Francisco State University in 2020. Sanchez is committed to ensuring he delivers transparent analysis and straightforward opinions that resonates with readers to get them thinking.

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