FanPost

Should Merriman be a target for the 49ers?

A recent article I read on Yahoo sports (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/rumors/post/Merriman-s-Chargers-status-unclear?urn=nfl,188255) got me thinking about a possible trade for Shawne Merriman and how it may benefit both teams. Recently Merriman was arrested for allegedly choking his girlfriend, in which he claims he was merely restraining her from drinking and driving. Now the article states that San Diego’s GM referred to Merriman's future with the team as "an ongoing debate", possibly meaning he may be on the outs. Combine this with the fact that his contract expires at the end of the year, they drafted a possible replacement in Larry English in the first round of the draft this year, and he's coming off a serious injury(albeit seems fully healed), San Diego may start to shop him around if they aren’t already.

Now, I’m not the kind of person that suggests we go after every troubled star player or every high ticket free agent. I was against pursuing Plaxico, Brandon Marshall, Vick etc., but this seems like it would be a good fit. An OLB pass rush specialist is one of the, if not the biggest need for the 49ers. Sure Haralson had a good season with 8.5 sacks but we need someone to compliment him and time has almost run out for Manny Lawson. Does anyone know how many sacks we had in the preseason? None! Now I know that teams tend to blitz less in the preseason, but not even one sack in four games?

Merriman may be a good fit for the 49ers. He's young and has proven to be dominant at his position. Drafting an OLB for a 3-4 defense is pretty hit and miss because most of the time you are converting a 4-3 DE tweener from college and teaching him to play standing up at a different position. If the Chargers gave Merriman's agent permission to talk to the 49ers and a contract could be worked out prior to the trade, could this be an option worth giving strong consideration? Singletary may just be what Merriman needs as well. A tutoring Hall of Fame linebacker to coach him much the way he did Merriman's Maryland college teammate - Vernon Davis, who has now apparently taken on a leadership role in the dressing room. I'm not sure what the Chargers would be looking for in return, but we do have a slew of draft picks next year and an OLB on our roster that is familiar with the Chargers defense who could step in immediately (Marques Harris) to fill Merriman's roster spot. Something to think about at least!

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Niners Nation's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Niners Nation's writers or editors.