On Monday, we discussed a free-agent pass rusher from the Atlanta Falcons who could follow Raheem Morris to the San Francisco 49ers. We don’t expect the entire free agent pool from Atlanta to follow Morris, but we’ll go over three other fits today that make sense.
TE Kyle Pitts
The 49ers need a big, fast, productive receiver to help balance and stretch the field for Brock Purdy. Preferably, somebody with the potential to be a No. 1. Pitts is a tight end, only in label. But the Falcons lined up Pitts in the slot
(315 snaps) and out wide (120 snaps) more than they did as an inline tight end (103 snaps).
Pitts is listed at 6’6″, 250 pounds. He also just turned 25 and was a former top-5 draft pick. The pedigree is there. Pitts would be the kind of mismatch the offense has been missing. Whether the defense would play nickel or base, Pitts has the advantage.
The 49ers should view Pitts as the suped-up version of Jauan Jennings. Pitts’ ability to run away from defenders is the biggest difference between him and Jennings. He created three or more yards of separation on 56 of 76 targets. Pitts caught 49 of those passes and tacked on 281 yards after the catch in an offense not known for using the entire field.
Jennings created the same separation on 25 of 53 targets in an offense where we watched him get schemed open, and he was still open roughly 26 percent less than Pitts. That’s no small feat, all things considered.
The 49ers will need to win a bidding war. Offensive minds like Shanahan will be salivating over the thought of adding a player like Pitts, who is coming off his most productive season since he was a rookie, and did so with the ghost of Kirk Cousins.
The highest-paid tight end in the NFL is already on the 49ers roster. He’s making $19.1 million a season. Pitts is projected to command around $14 million per season. The Niners could add a potential WR1 threat in this offense at the price of a top-five tight end.
LB Kaden Elliss
Dee Winters struggled to stay off the injury report in his first season playing back in 2024. Winters made it through 2025, where he had 101 tackles, ten for loss, limited the damage after the catch in coverage, and also notched 12 pressures. It was a quality season for the 25-year-old.
Winters enters the final season of his rookie contract. Speaking of rookies, the 49ers’ third-round pick, Nick Martin, finished the season in the concussion protocol after failing to see the field for any meaningful playing time in his first year.
Winters and Martin are both sub-230 pounds. In Raheem Morris’s scheme, he’s going to ask one of the linebackers to walk down onto the line of scrimmage. Winters did in 2025 78 times. Kaden Elliss did it 183 times.
Elliss lined up 49 times in the slot, walked up over the defensive tackle in a blitz look 141 times, and even lined up a few times at safety, all at 240 pounds. That type of versatility and familiarity should make Elliss a shoo-in to follow Morris. He’s a veteran with experience at 31. Elliss hasn’t missed a regular-season game in the previous three years with the Falcons.
Winters had a quarterback pressure percentage of 10.4 percent. Elliss’s was 17.6 percent, and he also had 3.5 sacks. In coverage, Elliss allowed a 52.9 completion percentage on 34 targets for 4.6 yards per target. He broke up three passes. Meanwhile, Winters allowed a 63.3 completion percentage on 49 targets for 4.6 yards per target. Winters broke up three passes and, of course, had the pick-six late in the season.
The fit makes sense. But do the financials? Elliss is coming off a year where his base salary was $4.9 million. Adding him might be admitting Martin isn’t the answer, unless he beats Elliss out. We know Elliss isn’t going to break the bank. Luke Gifford is a free agent, so there’s a need for a veteran at the position regardless.
RB Tyler Allgeier
Christian McCaffrey will need a backup. He could very well be on the roster in Jordan James, but he’s a relative unknown. McCaffrey believes load management happens during the week. He also acknowledged if the team wants to bring another running back in, then McCaffrey is “all for it. All for having more guys that can help us win football games.”
Tyler Allgeier had games last season with 16 carries, and would follow that up with one carry. On the surface, it looks like he struggled after only averaging 3.6 yards per carry. But if there was ever a running back on the market that fits Kyle Shanahan’s scheme, it’s Allgeier.
At 225 pounds, Allgeier has a propensity to bounce off tackles. He ran for 514 yards last season, and 410 yards came after contact. He also broke or forced a missed tackle 14.7 percent of the time. More importantly, Allgeier averaged 4.4 yards per carry rushing off tackle, which is generally where outside zone rushes hit.
Allgeier’s success rate was just behind McCaffrey’s and only two percentage points behind starter Bijan Robinson. If McCaffrey sustains an injury in 2026, you’d feel good about Allgeier as your starter.
The 49ers should be able to buy low on a player who is coming off a 514-yard season. It wouldn’t be surprising to see a couple of other running back-needy teams offer Allgeier a deal over market value to ensure he signs. After four seasons of being a backup, you wouldn’t blame Allgeier for wanting to start. But if he wants to win and potentially be McCaffrey’s successor, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better scheme than the Niners.
