{"id":207989,"date":"2026-03-06T22:08:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T22:08:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/207989\/"},"modified":"2026-03-06T22:08:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T22:08:16","slug":"the-10-best-realistic-free-agent-targets-for-the-san-francisco-49ers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/207989\/","title":{"rendered":"The 10 Best Realistic Free Agent Targets for the San Francisco 49ers"},"content":{"rendered":"

It is easy to say that the San Francisco 49ers should just sign every top free agent, but harder to put together when realizing the team needs to put an entire roster together within the confines of the salary cap.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While it is always best to shoot for a best-case outcome, who are some realistic free agents that the 49ers could land that would make this portion of the season feel good?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Najee Harris, RB\u00a0\"Sep<\/p>\n

Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The best case would be for Brian Robinson Jr. to return but if he leaves for more opportunity, Harris could take on the role. He is coming off an Achilles tear, but had four straight 200-plus carry seasons before that.<\/p>\n

He is a former first-round pick, and the lighter workload in San Francisco would allow him to heal properly and give San Francisco his best. It does not hurt that he is from the area as well. This is the best backup RB option per dollar<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Romeo Doubs, WR\"Jan<\/p>\n

David Banks-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Doubs is expected to make a good chunk less<\/a> than Jauan Jennings, but can fill a majority of the things that he is asked to do.\u00a0<\/p>\n

David Njoku, TE\"Dec<\/p>\n

Scott Galvin-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Njokue can complement George Kittle when Kittle is healthy, but when Kittle is gone, he can also cut into the loss.<\/p>\n

Joel Bitonio, LG\"Sep<\/p>\n

Ken Blaze-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The 49ers would have the most prestigious left side of the offensive line in the entire NFL. Bitonio would get to play for a winning team after an amazing career with the Cleveland Browns.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Zion Johnson, LG\"Jul<\/p>\n

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

If the 49ers want to go younger at guard, Johnson is the best option. He is a former first-round pick with a lot of experience and would be a good scheme fit.<\/p>\n

John Franlin-Myers, DL\"Nov<\/p>\n

Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Interior defensive line does not have strong options available this offseason, which is why Franklin-Myers may have to be a priority.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Odafe Oweh, Edge\u00a0\"Dec<\/p>\n

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Oweh is the edge rusher<\/a> that San Francisco needs to upgrade over Bryce Huff with speed and pass rush.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kwity Paye, Edge\"Indianapolis<\/p>\n

Grace Hollars\/IndyStar \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n

If they wanted to spend to upgrade<\/a> over Yetur Gross-Matos, Paye would be the fit. He may have been underutilized in Indianapolis, but he is an imposing run defender with first-round traits.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Devin Bush, LB\"Dec<\/p>\n

Ken Blaze-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Bush showed on the Cleveland Browns that he can be Pro Bowl caliber with the right linebacker next to him to keep him in line. Bush would be a big upgrade if Fred Warner can help him in the ways Carson Schwesinger did, and he will not cost too much because the majority of his career has been a letdown.<\/p>\n

Nick Cross, S\"Dec<\/p>\n

Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Cross is athletic and has plenty of starting experience. He would immediately compete for a starting job and would not cost much. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It is easy to say that the San Francisco 49ers should just sign every top free agent, but…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":207990,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[101,103,102,104,106,105],"class_list":{"0":"post-207989","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-francisco","8":"tag-san-francisco","9":"tag-san-francisco-headlines","10":"tag-san-francisco-news","11":"tag-sf","12":"tag-sf-headlines","13":"tag-sf-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/207989","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=207989"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/207989\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/207990"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=207989"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=207989"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=207989"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}