PFF Recommends 49ers to Sign Free Agent Linebacker
Free agency will be the San Francisco 49ers' first step in improving the team.
There are plenty of positions for them to choose from, but they cannot spend heavily. Extensions for Brock Purdy and possibly George Kittle are on the horizon. So, the 49ers will need to consider free agents who won't break the bank.
Pro Football Focus recommends the 49ers sign Pittsburgh Steelers free agent linebacker Elandon Roberts. Here is what PFF had to say about why the 49ers should target him in free agency.
"After failing to make the playoffs, the 49ers will encounter a bit of a crossroads during the 2025 offseason. While dealing with Brock Purdy’s probable extension, San Francisco will need potential reinforcements at tackle and cornerback. Don’t discount adding a linebacker or two through free agency, either. Roberts produced a career-high 77.2 overall PFF grade this season, buoyed by his 90.4 PFF run-defense grade — the sixth-best mark among defenders with 400 or more snaps. Coverage has been more of a problem for Roberts, but the 30-year-old could help solidify a linebacking group that ranked only 26th in PFF run-defense grade, even with Fred Warner."
- Bradley Locker
So, Roberts is coming off a career year. Despite that, it sounds like he won't be a costly signing since he isn't a solid pass-coverage linebacker. That is usually how linebackers can break the bank. Roberts would fit exactly what the 49ers need and that is to boost their run defense.
They were atrocious against the run in 2024. They must do everything they can to ensure it is never that poor again. Roberts won't drastically fix them, but he can improve it by acting as the first building block. He will strictly be an early down base package linebacker.
Once the 49ers go into their nickel package, he will come off of the field. Signing Roberts is a sound idea. However, free agency could drive up his cost and render him expensive to the 49ers. There is also Dee Winters who the 49ers like and could look to take the next step in 2025.
Still, Roberts is a player the 49ers should consider based on cost and versus his impact with Winters.
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