The first week of free agency resulted in just one player leaving the 49ers (starting guard Alex Boone) and one player arriving (reserve quarterback Thad Lewis).
That is not the kind of movement the 49ers' fan base expected to see from a team that exhibited plenty of positions in need of upgrades from last season after stumbling to a 5-11 record.
Let’s go to the 49ers Mailbag to attempt to answer some questions that were posted on our Facebook page:
Very simply put, what is Baalke waiting for? (Dave Holohan)
General manager Trent Baalke has never been one to act quickly and decisively in free agency. About the only exceptions have been safety Antoine Bethea, immediately signed two years ago to replace Donte Whitner, and wide receiver Torrey Smith, whom the 49ers signed to a lucrative deal a year ago.
Clearly, the 49ers need to add better players. But, apparently, the 49ers believe either: a) Those players were not readily available who fit their systems in what was mostly considered a weak free-agent class; and/or, b) The players who signed early were vastly overpaid for their services.
The 49ers might be more inclined to go out and sign a high-priced player if they believed they were just one player away from building a roster that puts them in contention. Clearly, the 49ers are a lot more than one player away.
The 49ers do not believe teams are built in free agency.
There were 99 players signed on the first three days of free agency. Only 10 of those players, including aging punter Shane Lechler and quarterback Matt Schaub, have ever made an initial Pro Bowl roster (does not include players added later as alternates). Of the free agents signed over those three days, only three made the Pro Bowl in 2015. Center Alex Mack was the only one of those three to change teams.
The money the 49ers did devote in the first week of free agency went to retain their own players: Ian Williams and Phil Dawson.
So what is Baalke waiting for? It seems his philosophy has been to let the market settle and try to supplement the roster with lower-priced players.
What is the penalty for not spending the free agent money up to the cap requirement? (Shawn Green)
Each team is required to spend at least 89 percent of the salary cap in cash in the four-year period of 2013 to ’16 and, again, from 2017 to ’20.
Any team that falls short of the requirement must pay the remaining money to the NFL Players Association. The 49ers are not in danger of falling short of the threshold. The organization is $59.19 million under this year’s cap of $155.27 million per team.
But, in essence, the 49ers are $59.19 million (not including Ian Williams’ contract) under four years of cap totals because the team has rolled over its cap surplus those years. The 49ers are comfortably above the 89-percent floor.
Haven't heard anything on Boldin, why is that? (Jeremy Esclamado)
Anquan Boldin is 35, and he’s coming off a season in which he averaged just 11.4 yards per reception -- the lowest average since his second year in the league. The reason you haven’t heard anything about Boldin is because either he is not in high demand or his representatives have not revealed any of his activity.
Why have we heard nothing about Anthony Davis? (James Garnett)
Offensive lineman Anthony Davis has guaranteed he will attempt a comeback with the 49ers in 2016 after stepping away for a year to let his body and mind heal, he said. However, Davis has yet to officially apply for reinstatement from the reserve/retired list. Davis remains under contract with the 49ers while he remains away from the NFL. “Right now, that contract is being tolled,” Baalke said. “It’s just sitting there. It’s like the Internet cloud. It’s just up there.”
