Getty Jermaine Eluemunor (left) could be a 49ers target in NFL free agency.
It is not expected to be a big free-agent offseason for the San Francisco 49ers, which makes some sense given the fact that this was the best team in the NFL in the 2023 regular season and that it features highly paid stars at just about every key position besides quarterback, where Brock Purdy is still on his rookie deal. The 49ers will have some important decisions to make when NFL free agency hits, but they should also be able to fill some holes with low-cost maneuvers. One hole is depth on the offensive line, and one maneuver could be the signing of versatile Raiders tackle Jermaine Eluemunor.
That is the suggestion from Bleacher Report, which looked ahead to NFL free agency by highlighting potential moves teams should make in the coming months. For the 49ers, that meant taking a crack at Eluemunor, a fifth-round pick of the Ravens in 2017 who bounced to the Patriots before signing three consecutive one-year deals with the Raiders.
Depth on the offensive line has been lacking for the 49ers this season, and if Eluemunor can be had on the cheap, he could be a wise investment.
Jermaine Eluemunor Could Be Had on the Cheap
Here’s how the folks at Bleacher Report see the potential addition for the 49ers:
“They don’t have many significant impending free agents nor many needs outside offensive linemen not named Trent Williams. … Meanwhile, Jermaine Eluemunor has been a quality starter on the right edge for the Raiders over the last two seasons.
“Also, he has experience playing guard dating back to his first season in Las Vegas and at the beginning of his career in Baltimore and New England. That, plus the fact that the 29-year-old is only making $3 million this year, makes him a good fit in San Francisco. He should be a cost-effective solution to one of its biggest problems.”
Eluemunor is coming off a roller coaster season that started terribly but got better with time. In Weeks 3 and 4, with the Raiders facing the Steelers and Chargers, Eluemunor was charged with five total sacks allowed and had Pro Football Focus grades below 50.0 in both weeks. But he rebounded from there, and did not allow a sack for 13 weeks, until he allowed one in Week 18. He finished the year with six sacks allowed and a respectable PFF grade of 68.5.
49ers Could Reshape OL in NFL Free Agency
It’s not hard to imagine the 49ers reconfiguring their offensive line in NFL free agency. Backup John Feliciano is a free agent after the season, and the 49ers could used help with their interior lineman, where left guard Aaron Banks and right guard Spencer Burford have been weak spots
Both Banks and Burford are still on their rookie deals. Neither has been great—Banks has a grade at PFF of 54.9, which is 54th among 81 guards, while Burford is at 50.4, which is 66th.
But as a whole, the 49ers offensive line has operated well. With a grade of 82.6, it is the top-rated run-blocking line in the NFL at PFF, but only 26th in pass blocking at 54.0. That could get better as Banks and Burford come back next year with more experience.
Still, depth is a necessity. And Eluemunor could provide that.