Your daily San Francisco 49ers news for Saturday, March 18th, 2023
Sam Darnold joins Trey Lance and Brock Purdy in a 49ers’ QB room of uncertainty (paywall)
“The Jets gave up on Darnold in 2021, trading him to Carolina. Mayfield, who joined the Panthers in 2022, beat Darnold out for the starting job to begin that season. But then-Carolina interim coach Steve Wilks, who’s now the 49ers’ defensive coordinator, named Darnold the starter for the stretch run…The Panthers went 4-2 over those six games, which set the table for free agency and Darnold’s eventual signing with the 49ers.”
Assessing the 49ers roster and needs after one week of free agency
“Here’s a look at where things stand by position as of March 17, along with some thoughts on where the 49ers still could use more help.”
“If Clark’s projected value continues to slip, the 49ers would be upgrading their pass rush in the wake of losing defensive linemen Charles Omenihu and Samson Ebukam as free agents, finally getting a solid No. 2 option to pair with the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Nick Bosa.”
Javon Hargrave: 49ers-Eagles would have been a different game with a healthy Brock Purdy
“Trust me, we’ve seen the film on Brock escaping,” Hargrave shared. “We knew it was going to be a challenge trying to get to him, so it would have been, definitely, a different game if he had stayed up.”
“San Francisco badly needs tight end help. George Kittle and Charlie Woerner are the only TEs on the roster, and a young TE capable of producing in the passing game would add a significant wrinkle the 49ers’ passing game hasn’t had consistently since Kyle Shanahan took over as the head coach.”
“The 49ers lost a slew of key players in free agency, which means finding replacements is next up on their offseason priority list. Some of those replacements will come via San Francisco’s free agency additions. Others will come from the draft, while others will come from in-house candidates.”