The San Francisco 49ers signed running back Shaun Draughn to a one-year contract on Wednesday, locking up the restricted free agent for 2016. He followed unrestricted free agent Garrett Celek, who signed a four-year deal. With these moves, the 49ers now have 62 players signed through the 2016 season, or at least on a reserve/future contract.
The 49ers also have nine players set to enter some form of free agency. They have five players that will be unrestricted free agents, three that will be restricted free agents, and one that will be an exclusive rights free agent. With less than a week until the start of free agency, I have put together a rundown of the current roster, and then the players set to hit free agency.
Jordan Devey is an exclusive rights free agents. If the 49ers want him back, they can do so by simply handing them a contract of their choosing. If the 49ers want them back, they can simply offer them one-year contracts for the league minimum, which would be $600,000 for him due to having two credited seasons. I thought Kendall Gaskins was an ERFA as well, but I believe he signed a 2-year deal when he was promoted off the practice squad in November.
Tony Jerod-Eddie, Ray-Ray Armstrong, and Michael Wilhoite are all restricted free agents. If the 49ers extend them a qualifying offer and the player signs an offer sheet elsewhere, the 49ers can either match it, or receive compensation based on the level of the qualifying offer. Such an offer can be simply the right to match the offer, all the way up to significant draft pick compensation. The higher the compensation, the larger the tender. I could see Wilhoite getting more than just the right to match tender, but we'll see. The 49ers have until Wednesday, March 9 to make the qualifying offers. If the 49ers do not make a qualifying offer to a restricted free agent, that player becomes an unrestricted free agent.
Here is the full roster rundown as of Thursday morning.
Current roster
QB: Colin Kaepernick, Blaine Gabbert, Dylan Thompson
RB: Carlos Hyde, Mike Davis, Jarryd Hayne, DuJuan Harris, Shaun Draughn, Kendall Gaskins
FB: Bruce Miller
WR: Torrey Smith, Quinton Patton, Bruce Ellington, Eric Rogers, Jerome Simpson, DeAndre Smelter, DeAndrew White, DiAndre Campbell, Dres Anderson
TE: Vance McDonald, Garrett Celek, Blake Bell, Busta Anderson, Je'Ron Hamm
OT: Joe Staley, Erik Pears, Trenton Brown
OG: Andrew Tiller, Brandon Thomas, Colin Kelly, Ian Silberman
C: Daniel Kilgore, Marcus Martin
DL: Arik Armstead, Glenn Dorsey, Quinton Dial, Mike Purcell, Kaleb Ramsey, Garrison Smith
OLB: Ahmad Brooks, Aaron Lynch, Eli Harold, Corey Lemonier, Tank Carradine, Marcus Rush
ILB: NaVorro Bowman, Gerald Hodges, Nick Bellore, Shayne Skov
CB: Kenneth Acker, Tramaine Brock, Marcus Cromartie, Chris Davis, Dontae Johnson, Keith Reaser
DB: Jimmie Ward
S: Eric Reid, Jaquiski Tartt, Antoine Bethea, L.J. McCray
K: Corey Acosta
P: Bradley Pinion
LS: Kyle Nelson
Free agents
RB: Reggie Bush
WR: Anquan Boldin
OL: Alex Boone, Jordan Devey (ERFA)
DL: Ian Williams, Tony Jerod-Eddie (RFA)
OLB: Ray-Ray Armstrong (RFA)
ILB: Michael Wilhoite (RFA)
K: Phil Dawson