The Way The Cookie Crumbles

Just one week ago 49er fans as well as members of the media laughed at the 49ers “wait and see approach”. Since that time the niners have signed 5 notable players including:

-C Jonathan Goodwin

-CB Carlos Rogers

-S Madieu Williams

-S Donte Whitner

-WR Braylon Edwards

Oh how the tables have turned. In just a few short days the the 49ers have made a huge splash on the free agency market and all the sudden the 49ers are contenders once again in the NFC West. Let’s break down what each of these new acquisitions add to the 49ers roster.

Jonathen Goodwin-

After the 49ers lost their starting center David Baas to the New York Giants the 49ers have made it their number one priority to find a replacement for him. The 49ers then wasted no time in signing the former New Orleans Saints center Jonathen Goodwin. Goodwin, a pro bowler, helped the city of New Orleans grab its first title in franchise history. Goodwin is certainly an upgrade for the 49ers since he is a proven starter from a championship team. The 49ers get an A for snatching this guy off the market

Madieu Williams-

The biggest area of need for the 49ers is the Saftey and cornerback position. The 49ers released their best cornerback in Nate clements and Dashon Goldson, the 49ers starting Saftey, has opted for free agency. So as you can see there is a glaring need for experience and talent at both positions. Madieu Williams is not a big play ball hawk but he is an experienced NFL veteran who brings a sense of security to the 49ers. He will probably fight for a starting job with S Reggie Smith.

Carlos Rogers-

With the release of Nate Clements the 49ers desperately needed a starting Caliber Corner, they got that in Carlos Rogers. Rogers, a veteran from the Redskins, is a very good cover corner and will fit nicely in Vic Fangio’s defensive scheme. Rogers gets a bad rep of having “stone hands” due to his tendency to drop would-be interceptions. However, I still see him as an upgrade from clements because at the very least Rogers can cover recievers well. There was an article about Rogers saying that Rogers’ “stone hands” are due to poor coaching on the Redskins part.

Donte Whitner-

The signing of FA Donte Whitner marked the end of Dashon Goldson as a 49er permanently. The former Bills Saftey is expected to start next to Reggie Smith. Whitner is by no means a ball hawk but he did rack up 140 tackles last season. We will see whether Whitner is an upgrade from Goldson as the season goes on. Whitner is a very good blitz saftey so that may give clues as to why 49ers wanted him. Fangio has been known to pull of a few Saftey blitzes here and there so it would not surprise me if the 49ers use him in that area. Time will tell how Vic Fangio will use Whtiner’s talents

Braylon Edwards-

Perhaps the most celebrated signing of them all is former Jets wide out Braylon Edwards. Michael Crabtree sustained a foot injury last week that will cause him to miss 4-6 weeks of football. If he is still on the physically unable to perform list he will miss the first 6 weeks of the season. This caused the 49ers to look for a wide reciever to replace Crabtree as well as compliment him when he returns. The signing of Edwards marks the first big-play wide out to sign with the 49ers since the departure of Terrel Owens. Edwards brings the big-play threat that the 49ers have needed for a long time.