The San Francisco 49ers' additions in the opening wave of free agency last March barely made any splashes, and the majority of focus centered on the players the Niners lost rather than the ones they gained.
Understandably. After all, San Francisco was cutting costs, which meant bidding farewell to some well-known talent.
The 49ers picking up veteran linebacker Luke Gifford didn't make noise much at all, and it sure seemed like a bleak response to losing star backer Dre Greenlaw to the Denver Broncos.
However, thinking the soon-to-be 30 year old was added to merely round out the linebacking depth chart in advance of training camp and the preseason would actually be a mistake.
Gifford is all but assured a roster spot this season.
Luke Gifford's case for a roster spot with 49ers is exceptionally strong
The six-year pro spent the first four years of his NFL career with the Dallas Cowboys, followed by another two with the Tennessee Titans, almost exclusively working as a special teams ace. In fact, it was only during his rookie 2019 season with the Cowboys that he saw less than 60 percent of special teams snaps over the course of a single year.
Considering many of the Niners' initial moves in free agency were to address special teams after hiring coordinator Brant Boyer, the fact Gifford's one-year deal worth up to $1.8 million was announced on the first possible day of March 13 indicates he was a top target for Boyer and Co.
There's more to Gifford's addition than just timeliness, too.
According to Over the Cap, $600,000 of his contract is fully guaranteed, which is far too much money allocated to a player seen as a mere camp body who'd be released in advance of Week 1.
While it doesn't wholly and fully guarantee Gifford a spot on the depth chart, it's about the closest thing possible to ensuring he'll be around by the time the regular season commences.
Sure, Gifford might not be someone who'll see plenty of defensive snaps, and San Francisco hopes a trio of Fred Warner, Dee Winters and rookie Nick Martin take the reins there.
But, as far as special teams prowess is concerned, Gifford's job couldn't be clearer.
