49ers Sign G Jonathan Cooper
The 49ers have signed guard Jonathan Cooper, according to a team press release. It’s a one-year deal for the former Cowboys lineman. 
“Having started 27 games in four NFL seasons, Jonathan brings great experience to the interior of our offensive line,” said GM John Lynch in a press release. “We look forward to him competing for a starting job at guard, while also bringing a veteran presence to our locker room. Jonathan is a welcome addition to our team.”
Cooper was selected No. 7 overall by the Cardinals in the 2013 draft. At UNC, Cooper was a three-time All-ACC player and earned a First-Team All-American selection in his senior year. Things did not go according to plan at the next level, however, and he has since spent time with the Patriots, Browns, and Cowboys. He had a bounce back year in Dallas, however, as he started each of the Cowboys’ final 13 games at left guard.
Cooper graded out as the No. 35 guard in the NFL last season, according to Pro Football Focus. Last year, Laken Tomlinson was the only full-time guard on the Niners to place higher.
49ers Meet With Jaylen Watkins
Eagles free agent defensive back Jaylen Watkins is visiting the 49ers tomorrow, a source tells Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). This marks the first “of a few visits” lined up for the cornerback/safety. 
The Eagles opted against tendering Watkins, which may have had more to do with their cap situation than their evaluation of him as a player. The Florida product has been a regular contributor for Philadelphia over the last two seasons with 28 regular season games and 51 total tackles to his credit over that time.
This past season, Watkins saw most of his playing time on special teams while playing on only 170 defensive snaps. He was not a star for the Eagles, but he still played a vital role.
“He’s Mr. Do-It-All,” Eagles cornerback Jalen Mills said of Watkins earlier this year (via the News-Press). “Whatever spot, if anybody happens to bust a shoelace, equipment issue, you can plug him in, and you know he’s going to go out there and do the job.”
In San Francisco, Watkins would also provide some much-needed depth in the secondary.
Jets Targeted Jerick McKinnon, Weston Richburg, Others
The Jets looked to be Kirk Cousins‘ backup plan, and the franchise had to move on to some its own contingency signings soon after. Most notably, the Jets sought a backfield option that ended up in San Francisco.
Despite entering free agency with more than $90MM in cap space, the Jets could not land Jerick McKinnon. Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reports the Mike Maccagnan-led franchise put a “full-court press” on the former Vikings running back, only to see him join the 49ers instead.
While McKinnon looked to be the main target that got away, the Jets also had interest in Weston Richburg, with “strong plays” for defenders DaQuan Jones and Barkevious Mingo also not working out for Gang Green, Mehta reports.
Once the Jets didn’t sign McKinnon, they moved on to Isaiah Crowell. However, Mehta reports the Jets agreeing to terms with McKinnon would not have precluded them from adding Crowell as well. Although, the team already has Bilal Powell and Elijah McGuire.
Mehta reports the Jets felt their offer was strong enough to close a deal with the 25-year-old McKinnon, but the team also felt Kyle Shanahan was determined to win a bidding war. The end result shows that to be the case. The four-year, $30MM contract makes McKinnon one of the league’s highest-paid running backs.
The 49ers also beat the Jets on Richburg, but it doesn’t sound like the competition was as fierce between the two franchises as it was for McKinnon. New York eyed Richburg but knew the ex-Giants center was going to sign for more than what the team was willing to pay him. Despite having less cap space than the Jets, the 49ers signed Richburg for five years and $47.5MM.
Jones ended up re-upping with the Titans instead of replacing Muhammad Wilkerson on the Jets’ front, signing for three years and $21MM. Mingo will be one of the players the Seahawks turn to in an effort to replace Michael Bennett. The Jets’ interest in Mingo may not have been too strong, with it only taking a two-year, $6.8MM deal for the Seahawks to sign him.
49ers Unlikely To Make More Major FA Signings
The 49ers still have about $33MM in spending money, per GM John Lynch, but as Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle writes, the team is unlikely to use that cash to make any major free agent signings.
Lynch said, “We’re not all the way done yet, perhaps. We’ll use that wisely. We got the guys that we targeted that would help us best become a better football team.”
Branch has taken that statement to mean that San Francisco is going to stand pat with respect to notable free agents that are still available. As Lynch said at the scouting combine, the team is not one player away from being a true title contender, so while the addition of Richard Sherman may have suggested to some that the 49ers had hopes of a deep playoff run in 2018, San Francisco is still apparently committed to its youth movement (as Branch observes, the 49ers have just five offensive or defensive players who are 30 or older).
Lynch indicated that the 49ers will spend their available cash, but will use it to lock up young players who are already on the roster. As Branch writes, right tackle Trent Brown, 24, and safeties Jaquiski Tartt, 26, and Jimmie Ward, 26, are all recent draft picks in the final year of their contracts, and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, 24, will be eligible to receive what figures to be a hefty contract extension after the 2018 season. The team might also use some of its money to give a pay raise to LT Joe Staley.
So, outside of the potential reward for the 33-year-old Staley, the 49ers are using their money to continue building a youthful core that can form the foundation of a competitive team for the foreseeable future. The additions of Sherman, Weston Richburg, and Jerick McKinnon, then, appear to be the only major outside additions for Lynch & Co. this offseason.
AFC Notes: Kaepernick, Texans, Titans
When Colin Kaepernick‘s choice to work out in Houston this week raised some eyebrows in the football world. We now know why he was in town. Texans owner Bob McNair was deposed on Friday in Kaepernick’s collusion lawsuit against the NFL and Kaepernick sat in on the deposition, according to Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter).
Kaepernick, who was ranked as one of my ten best available quarterbacks before the start of free agency, has yet to receive any bites from teams as he continues his legal proceedings against the NFL.
Here’s more from the AFC:
- The Titans are after Ndamukong Suh and that could lead to a shakeup on the defensive line, as veteran NFL reporter Paul Kuharsky notes (on Twitter). The nose tackle is set to carry a $5MM base salary in 2018 and $2.5MM of that sum becomes fully guaranteed on Sunday. Williams would not only be redundant in the event of Suh signing – he’d also be taking of cap space that may need to be allocated for the former Dolphin.
- Free agent offensive tackle Matt Tobin met with the Patriots on Friday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
- The Broncos are working on re-signing free agent offensive lineman Billy Turner, sources tell Mike Klis of 9News (on Twitter).
Latest On Eric Reid
Many of this year’s top free agents have come off the board, but there has been nary a word of interest in safety Eric Reid. The former 49er believes that teams are staying away from him due to his social activism and decision to knee during the national anthem. 
“The notion that I can be a great signing for your team for cheap, not because of my skill set, but because I’ve protested systemic oppression, is ludicrous. If you think is, then your mindset is part of the problem too,” Reid tweeted.
Before the start of free agency, I ranked Reid as the 23rd best player available on our top 50 list with the caveat that Reid’s anthem protest participation could hurt him. That’s likely the case, as lesser free agents at his position have already found NFL homes for 2018. For his part, Reid believes that football evaluators are interested in signing him, but owners of teams are standing in the way of a deal.
“GMs aren’t the hold up, broski,” Reid wrote in response to someone on Twitter. “It’s ownership. People who know football know who can play. People who know me, know my character.”
Reid graded out as the No. 30 ranked safety in the NFL last year, per Pro Football Focus, and did so while playing a number of snaps out of position at linebacker. At just 26 years old, he profiles as a candidate for a substantial multi-year deal in terms of football ability.
In recent days, safeties Kurt Coleman, Tavon Wilson, Cody Davis, Nate Ebner Rafael Bush, and Keith Tandy inked multi-year deals with clubs. All of those players are older than Reid and ranked substantially lower in PFF’s advanced metrics last year. At the same time, the safety market has moved slower than other position groups, so Reid could have better luck once bigger names such as Tyrann Mathieu, Tre Boston, and Kenny Vaccaro ink deals.
49ers Sign LB Jeremiah Attaochu
The 49ers have signed linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu, reports NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). It’s a one-year deal worth up to $5.125MM, with $2.5MM fully guaranteed.
The 25-year-old had spent his entire four-year career with the Chargers organization after being selected in the second-round of the 2014 draft. The Georgia Tech product didn’t necessarily live up to expectations due his tenure, and missed 24 total games.
Attaochu was limited to only four games in 2017, compiling seven tackles. His best season came in 2015, when he finished with 55 tackles and six sacks. He still made his way onto PFR’s free agent positional rankings, as he was listed 10th among edge defenders.
Raiders To Meet With DE Tank Carradine
The Raiders are hosting 49ers defensive end Tank Carradine on a visit, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
Carradine, 29, was a second round pick of the Niners in 2013. He hasn’t quite lived up to his potential and he is coming off of a season in which he missed half of the team’s games. He did start in seven of his eight contests in 2017, however. He tallied 19 tackles and 1.5 sacks and would have placed among Pro Football Focus’ top 50 edge defenders if he had enough snaps to qualify.
The Raiders are keeping busy today as they are also meeting with free safety Marcus Gilchrist. On the other side of the ball, they have released Michael Crabtree in order to sign fellow wide receiver Jordy Nelson.
Lions, Seahawks Interested In Quinton Dial
Packers free agent defensive tackle Quinton Dial will visit the Lions and Seahawks, according to Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel (on Twitter). Dial, as Silverstein notes, was a positive locker room presence in Green Bay after coming over from the 49ers. 
It’s not clear if the Packers are still in the mix to keep Dial, but they think highly of him. When signing him last year, the Packers paid him one dollar more than the veteran’s minimum ($775,001), which left open the possibility of extending him in-season. They didn’t do that, however, allowing him to explore the open market.
Dial, 28 in July, appeared in 13 games with two starts for the Packers last season. He totaled 19 tackles.
49ers Trade C Daniel Kilgore To Dolphins
The 49ers announced they’ve traded center Daniel Kilgore to the Dolphins. Kilgore will take the place of Mike Pouncey, who will be released. 
In the swap, the Niners will send a seventh-round pick to Miami and receive a seventh-round pick in return, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. In the deal, Miami will assume both Kilgore’s contract and bonus.
Kilgore inked an extension with San Francisco just one month ago, but the signing of Weston Richburg has displaced him. There was some thought to Richburg playing guard for the Niners, but we now know that he’ll be lining up at his native position.
Kilgore will cost the Dolphins $5.3MM in 2018, including a $2.3MM roster bonus that comes due on Thursday. After that, he has cap hits of $2.7MM in 2019 and $3.6MM in 2020. Those numbers are significantly cheaper than the contract of Pouncey, who would have carried cap hits of $9MM, $8.2MM, and $9MM over the next three seasons.
Last summer, Kilgore projected as a reserve for San Francisco. However, after the Niners waived Jeremy Zuttah, he beat out free agent pickup Tim Barnes for the starting job. The advanced metrics weren’t keen on him, but the Niners felt he had considerable value. That is, until Richburg became available this week.
[RELATED: Dolphins Depth Chart]