© Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
The 49ers entered the 2018 offseason looking to build on an encouraging close to the season. After winning their final five games, general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan carried that momentum by signing their prized miracle worker in quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
The moment Garoppolo signed his $137.5 million contract, he became the foundation upon which the 49ers would build the rest of their roster. In a little than one month after he signed, we now see the success of the recruiting pitch centered around Garoppolo.
San Francisco has signed four more players fewer than one week into the official free agent period. Each signing satisfies one of San Francisco’s biggest needs: cornerback, running back, interior offensive line, and edge rusher.
The seeming consensus is that the team of Lynch, Shanahan, and contract specialist Paraag Marathe have dominated free agency thus far. Pro Football Focus crowned the 49ers as the “early winners” of free agency.
The following criteria were considered when assigning grades to each of San Francisco’s free agent signings: contract value, whether the player fits a need, and how each player projects into the system.
Richard Sherman (cornerback): A
After the team signed Sherman, Lynch said he wouldn’t pursue “splash” signings. Adding Sherman— a villain who antagonized and terrorized the 49ers for the greater part of the past decade— qualifies as such.
But this was a tremendous signing that makes sense on several levels.
If you look at his collective performance in his seven career seasons, Sherman has been the best cornerback in the league. He was tops in the NFL with 32 interceptions, 99 passes defended, passer rating allowed (50.9), and completion percentage against (47.4) throughout that span. He dominated in the same Cover 3 scheme that 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh— who worked with Sherman in Seattle during his first three seasons— deploys.
All of Sherman’s detractors point to two things. He turns 30 later this month and is coming off a ruptured Achilles injury he suffered in Week 9— to which Lynch has a rebuttal.
“I tend to think the best athletes heal at a different level than everybody else,” he said last week.
Until there is concrete evidence of Sherman’s regression, such arguments are moot. Despite playing about half of the 2017 season, he still finished as Pro Football Focus’ 33rd most productive cornerback.
The real reason the 49ers succeeded in this deal lies in the contract’s details.
Sherman’s deal is highly incentivized, with a signing bonus of only $3 million. These incentives include: showing up to training camp healthy, playing 90 percent of snaps in 2018-19, and making the All-Pro and/or Pro Bowl team.
For the 49ers, the worst-case scenario is that Sherman underperforms or never fully heals. If either situation were to happen, the 49ers could still move on after the upcoming season, while only losing $3 million in dead money for the 2019 and 2020 seasons.
The best case is that Sherman returns to form as one of the league’s top players. The 49ers were in desperate need of a quality cornerback, with Ahkello Witherspoon returning as the only guaranteed starter at the position in his second year in the league. Sherman will also provide a leader to a young defense.
This is seemingly a no-loss situation for the 49ers. Signing a player of Sherman’s caliber, with very little guaranteed money involved, was one of the steals of the offseason across the NFL landscape.
Jerick McKinnon (running back): B+
The 49ers signed McKinnon to a four-year, $30-million deal that includes $11.7 million guaranteed. That may seem pricey for a player who has mainly been a third-down, receiving option throughout his career.
But San Francisco needed a running back with McKinnon’s abilities. It never seemed that the 49ers would re-sign running back Carlos Hyde, who didn’t fit well within Shanahan’s offense.
McKinnon does.
The 25-year-old is one of the fastest, most dynamic running backs in space. He is a one-cut guy— a trait Shanahan looks for— who can compile yards in chunks.
Yes, he has never eclipsed 600 rushing yards or 1,000 all-purpose yards in a season. But consider that McKinnon was a rotational piece stuck in Minnesota, battling Adrian Peterson, Latavius Murray, and Dalvin Cook for playing time throughout the past four seasons. Despite McKinnon’s primary role as a pass-catcher — he caught 51 of 68 targets last season—he has proven to be a well-rounded option out of the backfield.
Pro Football Focus gave McKinnon with its seventh-highest receiving grade last year. He also scored as PFF’s eighth-best pass protector out of all running backs. And in the past three seasons, McKinnon has missed only one game.
Shanahan studied every running back available in free agency, a crop that included proven starters Dion Lewis and Isaiah Crowell. McKinnon stood out.
“I watched the tape of everybody who was available, and then we try to decide who the best one is,” Shanahan said last week. “That’s how we saw Jerick.”
McKinnon will use his speed within Shanahan’s creative offense. McKinnon has a similar skill set to Atlanta running back Devonta Freeman, who enjoyed the two most productive seasons of his career under Shanahan.
The price-tag for McKinnon is hefty, which is why we aren’t grading this signing in the A-range. But Shanahan and company had more than $64 million cap space at the time, giving them the freedom to go after the guys they wanted.
Weston Richburg (center): A-
Securing Garoppolo took precedence in the 49ers’ offseason to-do list. Protecting him was one of the next biggest priorities.
Last week, the 49ers signed Richburg to a $47.5 million deal, including $16.5 guaranteed with another $12 million in injury guarantees. The terms are lucrative, but again, San Francisco had the money to spend.
One month earlier, the 49ers extended last year’s starting center, Daniel Kilgore, to a three-year deal. San Francisco shipped him to Miami last week in favor of Richburg, whose versatility will help maximize Shanahan’s offense.
“When you have a center in our offense that can play at the level Weston can, it gives a huge advantage,” Shanahan said last week. “When you have guys who can read shades on their own, when you don’t need the help of guards and things like that. The type of personnel groupings you can get into and stuff, it adds a lot to your offense.”
Pro Football Focus ranked Richburg as the third-best center in 2015, his second season in the NFL. He allowed only two sacks in the 2015 and 2016 seasons. He started 50 of his first 51 career games before missing the final eight games of the 2017 season due to a concussion.
The 49ers needed to improve their interior offensive line. They filled a major need by adding Richburg, one of the best, most versatile centers in the NFL.
Jeremiah Attaochu (edge rusher): B-
The 49ers struggled mightily in the sack department last year, finishing tied for 26th with only 30 sacks. The team chose not to re-sign Elvis Dumervil, who led the team with 6.5 sacks last season, emphasizing the void even more.
Last week, the 49ers added Attaochu to a one-year deal that includes a $1.5 million signing bonus and $1 million base salary. Attaochu will play the hybrid ‘Leo’ position in Saleh’s 4-3 defense, the same scheme Attaochu played in San Diego. He is also expected to contribute to special teams.
Attaochu recorded 10 sacks in three seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers. He struggled for playing time behind the productive duo of Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram.
Attaochu, a second-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, clocked a 4.58 40-time at his pro day, impressive for someone who stands at 6’3” and 252 pounds. Attaochu will benefit by working alongside DeForest Buckner, one of the top defensive tackle’s in the league.
The 49ers’ newest signing envisioned that prospect two years ago, with Buckner entering the 2016 NFL Draft.
“(I) wanted (Buckner) to come to San Diego when I was in my second year,” Attaochu said last week. “I thought it would help me out. Now we’re together, and that’s going to be exciting.”
Attaochu’s one-year deal won’t cost the 49ers much. The guaranteed money seems to show the 49ers have faith he will contribute next season.
With the relatively limited number of proven edge rushers to choose from in free agency, it was important to acquire someone who has at least shown flashes. It seems likely Lynch and company will look to bolster the defensive end position in next month’s NFL draft.
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Brad Almquist is KNBR.com’s 49ers beat writer. For full 49ers coverage, follow Brad @bquist13.
