With the first major wave of free agency in the rearview, this is the time NFL teams start to look for cheap value. The 49ers, much like their San Francisco Giants counterparts, excel this time of year.
It’s about swinging on upside and betting on good coaching maximizing reasonable investments. The strategy isn’t particularly sexy, but with an elite defensive line coach, the 49ers have reaped the rewards in the form of Kerry Hyder Jr. and Arden Key the past two seasons. Tom Compton provided similar found value at tackle last season, too.
Hyder Jr. is back in Santa Clara and the 49ers are certainly looking to add other pieces to a defensive line that rounded into pretty stellar form down the stretch of last season.
According to the NFL’s transactions wire, on Wednesday, San Francisco worked out former Colts edge rusher Kemoko Turay, who is coming off a 5.5-sack season in Indianapolis.
A former second-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Turay had a 4.0-sack rookie season before missing substantial time in his next two years, largely due to an ankle fracture, playing in just 11 of a possible 32 games.
But he’s coming off a career-best year, having played in 13 games for a Colts team which should have made the playoffs. Turay is a freak athlete, and tested extremely well before being drafted. If healthy, he could potentially be a cheap, useful addition to the 49ers’ front.
