NFL Today: San Francisco Still a Contender

This week, Cleveland tweaked the language in DPOY Myles Garrett’s contract, but insists it has nothing to do with a possible trade; rumours continue to swirl around a potential A.J. Brown trade, but Philly GM Howie Roseman keeps saying that Brown is a member of the Eagles; and after agreeing to a one-year deal with DE AJ Epenesa, Cleveland nixed the signing following his physical. Other Fantasy football stories we’re tracking include…

Could the 49ers Sign a Familiar Face?

Back in early October, we talked about how the San Francisco 49ers were off to a great start, and were actually leading the NFC West through five games. And it’s not as if San Francisco crumbled from then (going 8-4 the rest of the way to finish 12-5), but the Rams were even better and Seattle wouldn’t lose, leaving the 49ers third in the division.

But at least San Francisco returned to the postseason, and even advanced to the Divisional Round, where it was humiliated by Seattle. Yes, the 49ers will have to figure out a way to topple those teams to advance deeper next season, but even after free agency, the 49ers remain a Super Bowl contender for 2027.

Could San Francisco continue to tinker in free agency? Absolutely!

One name that’s been thrown out there as a possible addition is veteran safety Jimmie Ward, released by Houston last month.

Now, this is a player that San Francisco is quite familiar with, having drafted him in the first round in 2014 and employing him through 2022, but he’s also one that comes with some baggage. For starters, there are all the injury issues he’s dealt with over the years, including a foot woe that cost him all of 2025.

And then there was the legal problem: Ward was arrested on suspicion of third-degree felony domestic violence, but the grand jury ultimately decided there wasn’t enough evidence to indict him.

In the two seasons he was active for Houston, he was only able to start 10 games in each campaign, and although he had a career-long 65-yard pick six in 2024, his highlights were few and far between as age and injury have ravaged him.

There’s a reason the Texans opted to part ways with Ward. But if the 49ers reunite with him simply as a reserve (or even a practice squad player) and mentor – not someone they will count on to start the majority of their games – this could be a good match.

Now 34, Ward enjoyed a breakout in 2019 when he set career highs in total tackles (65) and solo tackles (51), and he broke or matched both those totals over the next two seasons before he began to decline. Still, the former Top 100 player enjoyed a better than expected career, one which could have been even more impressive if not for all the health woes.

Carolina’s Draft Options

In mid-October, we discussed how quickly the Carolina Panthers had turned things around offensively and started to win. Well, they won again in Week Seven to move over .500, but were inconsistent from that point, and sputtered to the finish line with three losses over their final four games to finish 8-9.

Still, it was another significant step forward for a team that had bottomed out in 2023 with just two wins. And thankfully, because Carolina is in the worst division in football, a sub-.500 record was still good enough to finish first in the NFC South to return to the postseason for the first time since 2017.

In the Wild Card game, the Panthers gave the Rams everything they could handle, but ultimately surrendered a four-point lead with just 38 seconds left. It was a gut punch, but couldn’t take away from the great progress Carolina made last season.

Of course, this also means the team does not have a top 10 pick in the draft this year, with its first selection coming at No. 19. While it’s expected that most of the players who have the highest odds of going first overall (as per FanDuel) will be off the board when Carolina makes its pick, we have seen some mocks that suggest that two Alabama stars (OT Kadyn Proctor and QB Ty Simpson) may still be available at 19.

While Proctor could be a player the Cats consider (assuming he doesn’t go way before they pick), OT is not a pressing need. It seems much more likely that Carolina will opt for an offensive player, and Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq seems to be the popular choice here.

We’re seeing tight ends go in the first round more and more in recent years, and this dude’s athleticism is off the charts. Quarterback Bryce Young – whose job security last season looked shaky before improving down the stretch — could definitely use more weapons, and considering that last season Carolina’s leading TE (Tommy Tremble) only managed 249 yards receiving, there’s a match here.

RotoRob Tune of the Day

When Rush launched in Toronto in 1968, the original lineup featured Alex Lifeson on guitar, John Rutsey on drums and Jeff Jones on bass and vocals. Shortly afterwards, Geddy Lee replaced Jones. In 1975, they released their third album, Caress of Steel, and the second single was “Lakeside Park,” the classic May 2-4 tune (if you know, you know).