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Salary cap analyst Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus went through the exercise of picking each NFL team's top cut candidate this offseason. For the San Francisco 49ers, he named an offensive lineman who spent all of last season on the reserve/physically-unable-to-perform list — center Weston Richburg.
With over $13 million in projected salary-cap space, a post-June 1 cut of Richburg would save the team nearly $8 million while creating about $3.5 million in dead money.
Spielberger did consider listing quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, but general manager John Lynch's comments on Wednesday during the Eye Test for Two podcast shifted the focus to the offensive lineman. Lynch said there was no doubt that Garoppolo would be the team's quarterback in September, assuming he is healthy.
"The best answer here is frankly QB Jimmy Garoppolo, but San Francisco appears to be running it back with him under center at least one more time," noted Spielberger.
As for his actual cut candidate, the analyst explained why the move makes sense.
"Richburg has not played to the level of his contract after signing a top-of-the-market deal to join the 49ers," wrote Spielberger, "and Kyle Shanahan was able to plug and play other guys without too much trouble, as Richburg missed the entire 2020 campaign.
"The 49ers have a ton of pending free agents, most notably fellow offensive lineman Trent Williams, who will likely look to become the highest-paid offensive lineman in the NFL this offseason."
What would be the 49ers' plan if they move forward without Richburg? Ben Garland attempted to fill in for Richburg this past season but played in just five games before landing on injured reserve with a calf strain.
Impending free agent Alex Mack recently called the idea of reuniting with Shanahan "enticing," so he might be a legitimate option to replace Richburg.
"Kyle's an incredible coach," Mack told NBC Sports Bay Area. "He's an incredible coach, great person, strong motivator, and runs an offense that is something that I'd know really well, and that I'd perform very well in. That said, they're a very enticing thing, and I'm not sure what's exactly legal to say beyond that, and we'll just see what happens in free agency. It will be interesting."
PFF identifies 49ers' breakout candidate for 2024 season
By David Bonilla
May 15
Bradley Locker, a freelance writer for Pro Football Focus, delved into all 16 NFC teams to pinpoint one potential breakout player for each. For the San Francisco 49ers, that player is former second-round draft pick Drake Jackson, who had an underwhelming sophomore campaign last season before landing on injured reserve.
San Francisco overhauled their defensive line this offseason, bidding farewell to Arik Armstead and others while bringing in edge rushers Leonard Floyd and Yetur Gross-Matos in free agency. While many anticipate these additions to compensate for the losses, the true impact will only be seen once the regular season kicks off.
"Very quietly, the 49ers
PFF analyst underwhelmed by 49ers' offseason efforts
By David Bonilla
May 16
The San Francisco 49ers are coming off a disappointing Super Bowl defeat against the Kansas City Chiefs, but they still boast one of the NFL's best rosters, led by promising young quarterback Brock Purdy.
Following free agency and the NFL Draft, general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan may believe the 49ers are better today than they were a few months ago. However, Pro Football Focus analyst Trevor Sikkema would disagree.
While handing out offseason grades for all 32 teams, Sikkema sees a little improvement for the 49ers.
"The Niners didn't make a huge splash in free agency but signed some core players in Leonard Floyd, Yetur
Pro Football Focus senior analyst John Kosko recently scrutinized every NFL team, pinpointing which roster possesses the best group at each position. Kosko also singled out the worst position groups in the league, and fortunately for the San Francisco 49ers, they were not represented in any of those categories.
The 49ers were spotlighted by two position groups on the list, with Kosko asserting that the Bay Area team boasts the best tight end and linebacker groups in the NFL.
One might wonder if the team's wide receiver group, consisting of Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, Jauan Jennings, and now rookie Ricky Pearsall, made the list. However, that
The NFL schedule has been released and the San Francisco 49ers now know when and where they will play each regular season game. The divisional games are always important. You want to win your division above all else.
But the 49ers also have some important non-divisional games. Some of these games very well could play a part in NFC postseason seedings. Because of this, I've chosen three NFC games as the top non-divisional games for the 49ers. These are the five most important non-divisional games for the 49ers—the games that could play the biggest role in whether or not San Francisco wins a Super Bowl.
RELATED: Complete 2024 San Francisco 49ers Schedule
