The Houston Texans added a significant name to the free agent market when they launched defensive team JJ Watt. While a team like San Francisco, which needs top-notch help, might venture to look at the First-Team All-Pro five times, it’s hard to imagine it seriously hitting its tires.
While Watt is a sure Hall of Famer with three defensive player of the year awards under his belt, his days as a dominant player on the sidelines are behind him. He will turn 32 in March and his 9.0 sacks in 24 games in the last two seasons. Watt has only played two full seasons in 2016 and only 48 of a possible 80 games, although he posted 16.0 sacks in a full 2018 season.
This does not mean that Watt is a bad player. Another team can help. However, its price given in its resume could find significant inflation. ESPN’s Ed Werder reported how many 12 teams wondered about the former Texan star.
The problem 49ers face is where they would play. His most valuable role at this point in his career is probably the same role that Arik Armstead plays as a running defender in the base packs and inside the sub-packs. San Francisco has a lot of money tied up in Armstead and adding another relatively expensive player to the same role would not be a prudent use of the 49ers’ limited space.
If they were looking to add top help to the free agency, they would probably be less expensive players who could try to fit into a specific role to maximize their talent. Their trade with DE Jordan Willis last season comes to mind when they only used him as a top player and didn’t ask him to give up coverage or be a defensive end full of running.
Kerry Hyder Jr. also comes from an extraordinary year and at this point would probably be just as valuable for defending the 49ers as Watt, but at a lower price. If he were to spend a part in a free agency, he should try to keep Hyder in place instead of pursuing a bigger name.
With Trent Williams, Kyle Juszcyzk and K’Waun Williams, who are due to arrive at the free agency for the 49ers, they will have to spend wisely. Adding an edge player is not ruled out, but Watt should not be the player he is targeting.