The San Francisco 49ers are headed into rookie minicamp this weekend and players like Arik Armstead, Mike Davis, Blake Bell and Rory Anderson will be looking to distinguish themselves as potential starter options for Jim Tomsula and this comes as the Niners may look at adding Lance Briggs as a free agent following the retirement of Justin Smith.
The 49ers had been waiting all offseason for what Smith would do and now he has decided to retire. According to Pro Football Talk, Smith announced his retirement this week and now he joins Chris Borland and Patrick Willis as players that have retired from the team this year. CSN Bay Area reports that the 49ers have been interested in Briggs this offseason as a potential replacement with Borland and Willis leaving the sport.
The team has Navorro Bowman coming back from an injury and there is a chance the team could add Briggs on a deal as a free agent. Last season Briggs played in just eight games and had 35 tackles and over the past two seasons he has played in just 17 games. The team signed Arik Armstead to a contract after taking him in the first round out of Oregon, with PFT reporting the deal is for four years and has a fifth year option.
The 49ers drafted two tight ends in Blake Bell and Rory Anderson and they could end up contributing behind Vernon Davis this year. The team allowed Frank Gore to leave in free agency and that means Carlos Hyde should step up to start. Mike Davis could be an option to backup Hyde after coming out of South Carolina and he should be one player to watch in camp.
The writing was on the wall last year for Gore, as Hyde got a solid amount of playing time and he showed enough to prove that he can start. Davis had 1183 yards two years ago and added 982 yards last season on 199 carries, averaging nearly 5.0 yards per attempt. Hyde had 333 yards last season and he is expected to come in as the top back on the depth chart.
Bell could end up being a player that pushes to start eventually, as he was taken in the fourth round and had a strange career at Oklahoma. Bell has great size for his position at 6-foot-6, 252 pounds, but he started off as a quarterback for the team, which is why he put up just 16 catches for 214 yards and four touchdowns. According to 49ers.com, some scouts have compared Bell to Jason Witten and he comes in after putting up 40 total touchdowns in his career split over passing, receiving and rushing.
Briggs remains on the market after playing for the Chicago Bears and he could be a good fit for the 49ers with Chris Borland and Patrick Willis retiring. The team also is dealing with NaVorro Bowman coming off of an injury and adding depth could be a good option for the Niners at linebacker.