Why the 49ers Should Sign a Starting Defensive End

The 49ers need a starting defensive end opposite Nick Bosa.

Chase Young, Clelin Ferrell and Randy Gregory all are free agents, and frankly the 49ers should re-sign none of them. The Niners need someone better. A real difference maker. And they have to decide if they should sign that player or draft him.

Generally, it's cheaper to draft a player, because his rookie contract for the first few years of his career is relatively cheap. But to get a rookie defensive end who's good enough and strong enough to start right away for a team with Super Bowl aspirations, the 49ers probably would have to draft that player in Round 1. And the 49ers have the second-to-last pick in the first round. They might have to trade up for a Day 1 starter at that position, and trading up can be expensive.

That's why the 49ers should sign a defensive end. They're abundant in the free agent market.

If the 49ers want to add the best defensive end available, they could go after Brian Burns, but the Panthers might franchise tag him, which means the 49ers would have to trade for him and then extend his contract, which would be extremely expensive.

If the 49ers want to sign someone who's a bit cheaper but still better than Chase Young who's a giant disappointment, they could sign Danielle Hunter, Emmanuel Ogbah, Carl Lawson, Marcus Davenport, Romeo Okwara, Yannick Ngakoue, Josh Allen, Jadeveon Clowney Bryce Huff, Za'Darius Smith, Dante Fowler, Dorance Armstrong or Leonard Floyd.

It's a buyer's market.