The start of 49ers training camp is just two weeks away, yet that doesn’t mean the team has finished upgrading its roster.
A number of experienced NFL free agents remain on the market, still looking for homes, and San Francisco could decide to add a player or two if general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan believe it would make the team better -- and for the right price.
One such addition that could make sense is to bring in a veteran safety. Accomplished players such as former Kansas City Chief Eric Berry and ex-Arizona Cardinal Tre Boston remain available and could bolster a position group that has some question marks.
Former Dallas Cowboys executive Gil Brandt, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who now is an analyst for NFL.com, suggests Boston, 27, could be a nice match with the 49ers.
Boston played his first three seasons with Carolina, went to the Chargers for a year and then to Arizona in 2018.
Last season he played 14 games with 13 starts, was in on 79 tackles and had three interceptions. For the Chargers in 2017 he had a career-best five interceptions.
Wrote Brandt this week: “Boston remains unsigned deep into the offseason despite coming off a productive 2018 campaign. … San Francisco will be without Jimmie Ward, who is dealing with a broken collarbone, for much of the preseason, and Tarvarius Moore will face a learning curve as he converts from corner to safety. Boston is apparently content to wait for the best deal, but it would make sense to see if the safety could be a fit for the Niners.”
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Recently, Boston said in an interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio that he’s willing to wait for the right contract offer, and pointed to the deal received by former Rams safety Lamarcus Joyner ($42 million, four years) with the Raiders as the type of contract he’s seeking. He told the Fort Myers (Fla.) News-Press (where he grew up and still lives) that patience is important. That might be too pricey for the 49ers, but a one-year deal could work for both sides.
“It’s all about knowing your worth,” he said. “I know I’m going to go out (this season) and do something I did last year – play well with the opportunity I’m given.”
Niners training camp is set to open July 26.
