The San Francisco 49ers have a good sense of their 53-man roster after making cuts and shuffling deck chairs around.
Yet, the linebacker position is still a glaring roster weakness, which is why they should sign Eric Kendricks.
That name may be very familiar to Niners fans since Kendricks reportedly had a deal in place with San Francisco prior to the 2024 season, but he decided to sign with the Dallas Cowboys instead. His decision to spurn the Niners did not have to do with him hating San Francisco or anything, it more had to do with his connection to defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer in Dallas.
After the Kendricks deal fell through, the Niners had to sign De'Vondre Campbell, which ended up not working out too good.
With Dre Greenlaw leaving in free agency, San Francisco's linebacker group is much less formidable. Obviously, the team still has one of the best defensive players in the NFL with Fred Warner. Beyond him, though, there are a lot of question marks.
Dee Winters is going to be the No. 2 linebacker to start the year. He has looked good in camp, but he has never been able to fully put things together in the regular season. Rookie Nick Martin has drawn high praise from 49ers legend NaVorro Bowman, but the first-year pro is still unproven.
After some surprising cuts to their linebackers, San Francisco still has an opportunity to upgrade at a position that could become an issue at some point this season.
Kendricks is surprisingly still available as a free agent. He still definitely wants to play and was effective last season in Dallas. 2024 saw him record 138 combined tackles in 15 games with three sacks and two interceptions. He is a reliable and dependable veteran whom the 49ers could absolutely count upon alongside Warner.
With so many young players and so many unknowns on defense for the Niners going into this season, it would not hurt to have some added veteran experience out there at linebacker. The No. 2 spot behind Warner was an issue last season, and the Niners simply cannot have a repeat of that in 2025.
That is why it would be a great move for San Francisco to add Kendricks and bolster the defense before the regular season begins.