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There have been offseason highs for the San Francisco 49ers, including the signing of a tight end to pair with George Kittle. And the lows include the release of a nine-time Pro Bowler. However, the 49ers hope to have created another high by reeling in an ex-Falcons second-round pick who boasts two 100-tackle seasons, according to a post on X by Jeremy Fowler.
Free agent safety Richie Grant is headed to the #49ers on a one-year deal, per source. Former second-round pick by Atlanta heads west.
Grant is coming off an unimpressive season where he only made one start and totaled only 14 tackles. And this came for a defense that ranked No. 23 overall in the NFL. Furthermore, Grant posted ugly grades, according to Pro Football Focus. His overall rating of 37.7 ranked No. 166 out of 170 safeties. Ick.
49ers hoping for 2022-23 versions of Richie Grant
Grant started 32 games in those seasons. He had 123 tackles in 2022 and added 103 the following year. He also totaled three interceptions over those years.
Oddly for Grant, Falcons head coach Raheem Morris praised him before the 2024 season, according to Sports Illustrated.
“I told Richie when I got here that I was wrong on him,” Morris said. “I didn't think he was as good a player as he is. And he's played really well and does some good things, tackles strong. I was in another place, obviously, when I evaluated him. But he's shown me a lot of really good things on tape.”
General manager Terry Fontenot said Grant plays better in attack mode.
“Where Richie excelled more was playing near the line of scrimmage, doing some of those different things, pressuring,” Fontenot said. “He's got to improve things in coverage and some areas of his game, but we truly believe he's going to do that with Raheem and with our secondary coaches.”
49ers trying to recover in free agency season
Adding Grant almost felt necessary for the 49ers, who have been ravaged in free agency. And the hit has been worse on defense with Dre Greenlaw, Talanoa Hufanga, and Charvarius Ward taking their services elsewhere.
Maybe it’s part of a purge that came from a different defensive approach, according to nytimes.com.
“I mean, I love the scheme that we’ve had here,” Shanahan said. “I think it’s one of the hardest schemes to go (against) when you’ve got the right guys in the right spots. But I do think people adjust to schemes and you have to adjust, too, depending on your personnel. And I think that was a tougher thing for us this year, just going into the season it was a little bit harder than past seasons. And some of the injuries we had made it really tough for Nick (Sorensen).”
