Sunday, March 17, 2013
49ers' post-Goldson plans at safety
By Tom Carpenter
The San Francisco 49ers lost safety Dashon Goldson to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers via free agency, and since he was arguably the top unrestricted free agent at that position, replacing him won't be a simple process.
Ed Reed is still out there, and so is Charles Woodson, who visited with the team several days ago. They could give the Niners a veteran presence at safety, but time will tell whether they can lure either into the fold. In the meantime, they inked Craig Dahl to a three-year contract on Saturday.
ESPN NFC West blogger Mike Sando thinks Dahl's signing suggests that the Niners will try to replace Goldson with a team approach to safety:
Mike Sando
On Craig Dahl's move from Rams to 49ers"I'm not sure if the 49ers view Dahl as a likely starter. He would appear to be part of a lower-cost approach to the position. If the 49ers had been willing to pay top dollar for a safety, they presumably would have re-signed Goldson or named him their franchise player for a second consecutive season. Strength in the front seven should allow the 49ers to succeed on defense without overspending for their secondary. The team has already invested heavily at linebacker, with excellent results."
