San Francisco 49ers: Top 3 free agent targets still available

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BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – NOVEMBER 25: Wide Receiver Michael Crabtree #15 of the Baltimore Ravens is tackled after a catch by cornerback Rashaan Melvin #22 of the Oakland Raiders in the third quarter at M&T Bank Stadium on November 25, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

It may be June, but a few free agents still remain available that could help the San Francisco 49ers out in 2019. Here are the top three still on the market.

The initial buzz around free agency died out months ago, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still a few players left unsigned that could help out NFL teams. Given their still existent roster needs, the San Francisco 49ers are, of course, included in that statement.

The 49ers did a ton of great things in this offseason to better their overall roster. They established a legitimate strength on defense with the additions of Nick Bosa and Dee Ford to their already solid defensive line.

On top of that, their backfield looks to be one of the deepest in the NFL with the returning Matt Breida to be paired with a hopefully healthy Jerick McKinnon and free agent acquisition Tevin Coleman. Combine that with a returning Jimmy Garoppolo and there’s plenty of reasons to be excited about this 49ers team.

But it’s no question that this roster still has holes and it’s safe to say that some players still available could help fill those holes. Here are three remaining free agents who we identified as potential targets for the 49ers.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – OCTOBER 14: Tre Boston #33 of the Arizona Cardinals warms up on field before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on October 14, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

1. Tre Boston, Safety

The 49ers did a good job of building up their defense in the offseason with the aforementioned additions of Bosa and Ford to go along with the star-studded free agent signing of linebacker Kwon Alexander.

But for whatever reason, the team seemed to ignore their secondary.

San Francisco’s secondary struggled through a myriad of injuries in 2018, primarily when it came to their safeties. And it isn’t as if their safety depth chart was particularly strong, to begin with.

Jaquiski Tartt will return from injury and assume the starting strong safety role — if he can remain healthy — but the free safety spot still remains a major weakness for the team. As of now, third-year pro Adrian Colbert is slotted in as the starter but the 2017 seventh-rounder struggled mightily when asked to play a starting role last season.

Pro Football Focus gave him a horrendous 31.7 grade which ranked him dead last out of all 93 qualified safeties. On the contrary, free agent safety Tre Boston received a much better 74.1 grade which placed him in the top 25 among all safeties.

Boston remains unsigned well into the spring for the third consecutive year but it isn’t due to poor play. Boston finished his only season with the Arizona Cardinals last year with 79 tackles, nine pass deflections, three interceptions, and a forced fumble.

His asking price is likely a bit high combined with the safety market already being somewhat inflated. But the 49ers should jump at the opportunity to add a player who could start at free safety from Week 1.

Neither Colbert, the oft-injured Jimmie Ward, or anyone else on the roster currently represents a better starting option than Boston. And at just 26-years-old, this move seems like a no brainer.

Or at least about as much of a no-brainer a free agent signing could be in early June.