NFL free agency is still two months away, but for Pro Football Focus, it's never too early to make predictions. Contributor Bradley Locker highlighted one free agent for each NFL team to target this offseason, and for the San Francisco 49ers, he suggested bolstering their linebacker corps.
The 49ers are unlikely to make significant splashes in free agency as they prepare for Brock Purdy's impending payday and navigate a roster with several key players entering free agency. Among those players is linebacker Dre Greenlaw, a cornerstone the 49ers would love to retain—if they can make it work within their salary-cap constraints.
"I know about his want to be here, and I know our want to have him here," general manager John Lynch said this week. "... There's realities and there's tough decisions and so many factors to all those things, but believe me, the desire on both sides is there."
If the 49ers and Greenlaw fail to reach a deal, Locker recommends that the team focus on Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts.
"After failing to make the playoffs, the 49ers will encounter a bit of a crossroads during the 2025 offseason," Locker wrote. "While dealing with Brock Purdy's probable extension, San Francisco will need potential reinforcements at tackle and cornerback. Don't discount adding a linebacker or two through free agency, either.
"Roberts produced a career-high 77.2 overall PFF grade this season, buoyed by his 90.4 PFF run-defense grade — the sixth-best mark among defenders with 400 or more snaps. Coverage has been more of a problem for Roberts, but the 30-year-old could help solidify a linebacking group that ranked only 26th in PFF run-defense grade, even with Fred Warner."
The New England Patriots selected Roberts in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He spent three seasons (2020–2022) with the Miami Dolphins before joining the Steelers in 2023. The veteran linebacker turns 31 in April.
Roberts recorded back-to-back 100-tackle seasons in 2022 and 2023 and amassed seven sacks over those two years. Across his career, he has appeared in 140 games (105 starts), registering 604 tackles, including 54 for loss, 14.5 sacks, one interception, one touchdown, 12 passes defensed, five forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries, per Pro Football Reference.