Getty The 49ers during the third quarter of their November 7, 2021 game versus the Cardinals.
It has begun: The road to 53, including for the San Francisco 49ers.
The journey to a 53-man roster additionally includes former 49ers who are part of the depth chart sacrifices, making them a free agent who can sign with any team.
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Already, we’ve seen longtime veteran Jaquiski Tartt become available after the Philadelphia Eagles released the safety from the one-year deal he signed back on June 17. There’s another past member of the 49ers, though, who became available.
And his name joined Heavy’s senior NFL reporter Matt Lombardo’s list of “4 Best Players Available” with NFL teams beginning to downsize their rosters for opening day.
The Ex-49er Called Among the ‘Best Available’
Towering wide receiver Mohamed Sanu is now looking for his second NFL home for 2022.
Sanu was among the unrestricted free agents who never resigned with the 49ers. The 6-foot-2 wideout eventually signed with the Miami Dolphins — which got him to rejoin his offensive coordinator in S.F. Mike McDaniel who is now taking the head coaching reins. Sanu, though, was among the 13 roster cuts from Monday, August 29 down in South Beach — a list that also included two-time Super Bowl winner Sony Michel.
But as Lombardo pointed out, things got overcrowded for Sanu — and that includes the mega trade the Dolphins pulled during the offseason to land a past Super Bowl winner and one of the league’s fastest talents.
“Sanu was largely caught in a numbers game, among a crowded Dolphins wide receiver room, that got even deeper following this offseason’s addition of Tyreek Hill, via a blockbuster trade with the Kansas City Chiefs,” Lombardo wrote. “The 32-year-old didn’t sign with the Dolphins until July, as he reunited with former San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, now Miami’s head coach. Sanu spent last season with the 49ers, catching 15 of his 24 targets for 177 yards, while averaging 11.8 yards per reception.”
How Valuable Would Sanu be at This Point?
Sanu has never been a household name in the league since coming in as a third rounder from the 2012 draft out of Rutgers.
He’s also up in his years, as he celebrated his 33rd birthday on August 23.
And per Pro Football Reference, Sanu may have 435 receptions for 4,871 yards and 27 touchdowns. But he’s never produced a 70-catch campaign, never surpassed 840 yards or score past six touchdowns in a single season.
How valuable does this make Sanu? Lombardo believes he can still be a strong role player for a team putting its stamp on wide receiver play.
“At this stage of his career, Sanu is more of a complementary piece of a receiving corps than its focal point,” Lombardo said. “However, teams looking for veteran leadership to either help a young quarterback or give depth at the position a boost, could find tremendous value in the 33-year-old who has experience playing in a Super Bowl with the Atlanta Falcons.”
Teams that are on the WR needy side, or dealing with a myriad of injuries, can look into the wideout who was with the 49ers from 2020 to 2021 while playing alongside All-Pros Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and witnessed Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings emerge.
Sanu joined Michel, linebacker Joe Walker (formerly with the Arizona Cardinals) and fellow wideout Trevon Bradford (former L.A. Charger) as Lombardo’s best available.