Six 49ers who could play last game with team in Week 17
The 49ers have 17 players on injured reserve and two others, center Weston Richburg and defensive lineman Ronald Blair, who spent the entire season on the physically-unable-to-perform list.In addition, seven more players from the 53-man roster were officially ruled out from suiting up for the 49ers’ season finale on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks in Glendale, Ariz.Among those on the aforementioned lists, it seems likely NFL All-Decade cornerback Richard Sherman, edge rusher Dee Ford and Richburg already have played their final games with the 49ers. And with a total of 27 players scheduled for unrestricted free agency, there will be quite a few players who will not be back in 2021.Here’s a look at six players who might be suiting up Sunday with the 49ers for the final time.
C.J. Beathard will make his second consecutive start to finish the season. He played very well last week in helping the 49ers pull out a 20-12 upset victory over the Arizona Cardinals.
In limited time this season, Beathard has thrown five touchdowns and no interceptions. Coach Kyle Shanahan said this week he would love to bring back all three quarterbacks in 2021.
But Beathard is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent. Although it seems obvious he wants to remain with the 49ers, he might find a better opportunity elsewhere.
It is doubtful the 49ers would be willing to pay much more than the league minimum to bring him back in order to compete for the backup job.
After being sidelined for two full seasons with knee issues, Jerick McKinnon made it through the entire season. He is the only running back on the team to remain healthy from Week 1 through the kickoff of the final game of the season.
But McKinnon simply did not have the same burst as he had before his injuries. He caught 27 passes in the first 15 games but did not become the dangerous pass-catcher out of the backfield Shanahan envisioned when the 49ers signed him.
The 49ers have JaMycal Hasty returning, and it seems likely the 49ers will go with a younger option as a third-down back next season.
Tevin Coleman enters the final week of the season as the 49ers’ seventh-leading rusher. His stat line consists of just 53 yards rushing on 28 carries.
Running backs coach Bobby Turner is in a league by himself when it comes to scouring the college ranks to find under-the-radar players he can turn into strong NFL runners. He has done it with Matt Breida, Jeff Wilson Jr. and, even, Salvon Ahmed, whom the 49ers cut during training camp. Ahmed has averaged 4.2 yards a carry with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted rookie.
The point is, the 49ers do not have to invest much in the running back position when they have such an impressive track record of bringing in highly productive, low-cost talent.
Ahkello Witherspoon has taken some major strides the past two games to build a potential market as an unrestricted free agent. His two best games in four seasons with the 49ers have been the past two weeks against the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona.
Witherspoon’s size and athleticism are undeniable. So, too, is his inability to consistently show up and perform with aggression.
Shanahan has not even tried to hide his frustration with Witherspoon over the past three seasons. It makes sense for both sides to move on.
And it is possible Witherspoon could find an opportunity with the organization that hires 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh as a head coach (Assuming, of course, that happens).
At his best, Kendrick Bourne is a stout third-down target and a first-down-making machine. At his worst, Bourne is wildly inconsistent with one bad play leading to another and another.
The 49ers signed Bourne to a one-year, $3.259 million contract last year as a restricted free agent. What he can fetch on the open market as an unrestricted free agent is anybody’s guess.
Bourne is the 49ers’ second-leading receiver behind rookie Brandon Aiyuk with 44 receptions for 591 yards and two touchdowns. He has proved he can be a significant contributor on a top-flight team.
But with Aiyuk, Samuel and Richie James coming back, how much of a commitment will the 49ers make to keeping him around?
The 49ers have every reason to want to bring back Kerry Hyder, who played consistently at whatever task defensive line coach Kris Kocurek gave him.
Hyder signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract to come to the 49ers as a role player. He turned into much more than that.
Hyder remained healthy, durable and productive. He has a career-high 8.5 sacks entering the season finale against the Seahawks.
Here’s the problem: The 49ers are going to prioritize re-signing left tackle Trent Williams, cornerback Jason Verrett, nickel back K’Waun Williams and fullback Kyle Juszczyk. Will general manager John Lynch and cap expert Paraag Marathe have enough dollars to re-sign Hyder, too?
Hyder might have priced himself out of the 49ers' market.
