National Football League

San Francisco 49ers: 5 Players the Team Needs to Move On from in 2017

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 9:58 p.m. ET

Fansided, Peter Panacy/FanSided via Niner Noise

The San Francisco 49ers are in need of a complete roster rebuild this offseason. Here are five players the Niners should say goodbye to between now and the beginning of the 2017 season.

Oct 19, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; San Francisco 49ers outside linebacker Ahmad Brooks (55) reacts after a tackle in the first quarter against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Anyone who watched the San Francisco 49ers in 2017 can tell you the roster is bad.

49ers

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Yes, there are some pieces with which to work. But this is a tiny minority. The vast portion of the Niners’ 53-man roster is comprised of less-than-stellar talent, and it’s going to take a lot to shake things up in 2017 and beyond.

Fortunately, the 49ers don’t have a ton of commitment to these players. Only a handful are commanding lengthy, expensive contracts. And it isn’t as if the Niners have cap space to worry about this season.

There are guys — described here — who might be worthy of a roster cut in 2017. We can focus on those in a bit. But, for now, let’s worry about players who literally are taking up a valuable roster spot — ones which could be used for impact talent this year forward.

San Francisco needs to ensure these five players aren’t suiting up with the team this season.

Sadly, none should be a big surprise.

Dec 29, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA; San Francisco 49ers linebacker Michael Wilhoite (57) against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

No. 5: Linebacker Michael Wilhoite

If 2015 wasn’t enough to convince the Niners linebacker Michael Wilhoite wasn’t suited to be an everyday player, 2016 certainly should have been.

True, Wilhoite was pressed into service more often than San Francisco would have liked, thanks to season-ending injuries to fellow ILBs NaVorro Bowman and Ray-Ray Armstrong. But it isn’t as if Wilhoite’s production was anything worth more than a backup role.

According to Pro Football Focus, Wilhoite posted a 38.5 overall grade on the season, which ranked 83rd out of 87 qualifying linebackers last year.

That’s bad. Very bad.

Fortunately, Wilhoite is an unrestricted free agent entering 2017. So that should make the 49ers’ decision all the more easy.

Sep 1, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; 49ers center Marcus Martin (66) looks on from the sideline during the second half of the game against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. San Francisco won 31-21. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

No. 4: Center Marcus Martin

We’re all ears if you can tell us how center Marcus Martin found a way on the roster in 2016. After a disastrous and ugly 2015 campaign, one had to wonder what former general manager Trent Baalke was thinking here.

The 49ers admitted Martin wasn’t going to be anything more than a backup. But when No. 1 center Daniel Kilgore went down with a season-ending leg injury, Martin was pressed back into service again.

His Pro Football Focus grade? A measly 39.1, which would have ranked 39th out of 39 qualifying centers had Martin not been hurt to end out the season.

Martin still has one more year remaining on his rookie contract, but it’s clear the former third-round pick from the 2014 NFL Draft has been nothing short of a bust.

Dec 18, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Quinton Patton (11) reacts with fans in the stands prior to the game against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

No. 3: Wide Receiver Quinton Patton

Yes, wide receiver Quinton Patton enjoyed a career-high year in 2016. Even so, his numbers aren’t exactly anything to warrant serious future consideration:

Receiving & Rushing Table
	Games	Receiving
Year	Age	Tm	Pos	No.	G	GS	Tgt	Rec	Yds	Y/R	TD	Lng	R/G	Y/G	Ctch%
2013	23	SFO		11	6	0	5	3	34	11.3	0	29	0.5	5.7	60.0%
2014	24	SFO		11	4	0	8	3	44	14.7	0	35	0.8	11.0	37.5%
2015	25	SFO	wr	11	16	4	57	30	394	13.1	1	41	1.9	24.6	52.6%
2016	26	SFO	WR	11	14	14	63	37	408	11.0	0	45	2.6	29.1	58.7%
Career				40	18	133	73	880	12.1	1	45	1.8	22.0

At best, Patton is a No. 4 receiver on an OK depth chart. And while the 49ers need all the help they can get at the position, it’s pretty clear Patton isn’t going to be a long-term answer.

So, instead of hoping Patton finally clears the hump, the Niners should free up the roster spot and allow younger players like DeAndre Smelter and Aaron Burbridge time to see more reps both in camp and the regular season.

Hopefully the latter two don’t develop a running-the-wrong-way habit either.

October 5, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers outside linebacker Ahmad Brooks (55) defends during the first quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

No. 2: Linebacker Ahmad Brooks

Each year, veteran linebacker Ahmad Brooks seems to be on the roster bubble. And each year, Brooks somehow finds a way to stick around.

Perhaps it’s because the Niners lack any adequate replacement. Aaron Lynch was suspended and banged up in 2016. Eli Harold made some small progress, but that’s it. And Tank Carradine has been nothing short of a disappointment.

Still, Brooks is little more than a situational pass-rusher at this point in his career. He was Pro Football Focus‘ worst-graded edge defender on San Francisco’s roster (46.2), and it’s clear he’ll never be the kind of player who earned a Pro Bowl accolade back in 2013.

There are notable cap considerations too.

Again, the 49ers don’t have to worry too much about clearing cap space. But Brooks’ $8.65 cap hit in 2017 would be best spent elsewhere. Moving him this offseason would free up $7.8 million in cap space — money the Niners could easily use to shore up other areas of weakness along the roster.

Dec 4, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) looks on during the second half of the game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports

No. 1: Quarterback Colin Kaepernick

Yes, quarterback Colin Kaepernick managed to show some signs of rekindling his 2012 success under former head coach Chip Kelly last season.

But this is little more than fool’s gold for a 49ers team in need of a complete overhaul.

True, the Niners have zero immediate solutions on the roster at quarterback. But a clean slate is likely going to be one of the things a new general manager and head coach look at when joining the 49ers this offseason.

Kap was an answer in 2012 and 2013. He’s not any longer.