Should the 49ers Sign Free Agent Safety Julian Blackmon?

The 49ers currently have the worst starting safety tandem in the NFC West.

Malik Mustapha most likely will miss at least the few first games of the season as he recovers from a torn ACL he suffered in Week 18. He's a good player. Without him, the 49ers starting safeties most likely will be Ji'Ayir Brown and Jason Pinnock. Not great.

Fortunately for the 49ers, they have the third-most effective cap space in the NFL right now and some quality starting safeties are available. According to Bleacher Report, Julian Blackmon is one of the best still on the market.

"Still in his prime, Julian Blackmon should be on a team by now," writes Bleacher Report's Moe Moton. "Though he's spotty with his consistency in deep coverage, the 26-year-old has made several plays on the ball over the last two seasons, recording 12 pass breakups and seven interceptions.

"In recent years, Blackmon has also made plays in run support. In 2023, he logged a significantly higher number of total tackles compared to his first three seasons and registered a career-high five tackles for loss.

"Blackmon still has some upside as a safety who can play in deep coverage and fill the box on early downs."

Blackmon is unquestionably better than both Brown and Pinnock. Plus Blackmon played under 49ers assistant head coach Gus Bradley the past few seasons when Bradley was the defensive coordinator for the Colts.

I'm guessing the only reason Blackmon is still unemployed is his asking price. Once he lowers it, the 49ers should sign him.