The San Francisco 49ers entered the 2024 season as the defending NFC champions after coming frustratingly close to winning Super Bowl LVIII. But their hopes of winning their sixth Vince Lombardi Trophy quickly went up in smoke.
Amid a gnarly rash of injuries to key players, they went just 7-10 and missed the playoffs. To add insult to injury, they lost several important players in free agency this offseason, partly as a cost-cutting measure so they can give quarterback Brock Purdy the contract extension he deserves.
The Niners did make a major move, however, by bringing back defensive coordinator Robert Saleh after he had spent three seasons and change as the New York Jets' head coach. The hope is that Saleh, who was San Francisco's defensive coordinator from 2017 to 2020, will revive a once-dominant defense that was 29th in points allowed last season.
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report suggested that the team sign free agent linebacker C.J. Mosley, who spent the last several seasons in New York and played for Saleh there.
"The 49ers lost several key contributors early in free agency, including linebacker Dre Greenlaw," Knox wrote. "Reloading the linebacker group should still be a priority.
"C.J. Mosley was limited to four games in 2024 by toe and neck injuries. He'll also turn 33 in June. However, he's a five-time Pro Bowler who spent time with the Jets under Robert Saleh—who returned to San Francisco as the defensive coordinator this offseason."
As recently as 2023, Mosley was someone who was playing at a Pro Bowl level. That year, he had seven passes defended, five tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and 152 total tackles (81 solo).
Despite his injuries in 2024, Pro Football Focus still ranked him 22nd among 189 NFL linebackers in run defense grade.
Run defense is one of the multiple weaknesses the Niners have on that side of the football. If they were to reunite Mosley with Saleh, perhaps Mosley wouldn't be an every-down linebacker at this stage of his career, but if he can play alongside Mike linebacker Fred Warner, he could help them resurrect their defense, not to mention their Super Bowl dreams.
