4 teams who could steal Andre Roberts from the Chargers in free agency
By Jason Reed
2. San Francisco 49ers
Every team that is on this list is going to be one that struggled in the return department in 2021. That should be pretty obvious from the get-go. Despite having so many versatile weapons, the 49ers also struggled in the return game, ranking 28th in the NFL in return yards per kickoff this season.
Chargers fans should know just how bad their return situation is if they watched the Wild-Card Round game between the 49ers and Dallas Cowboys. The 49ers had Travis Benjamin returning punts and playing a big role on special teams. That is when you know you need some help.
The 49ers do not have a ton of cap space but they can absolutely fit a return man into the budget. The 49ers are more likely to spend on a return man as they are less likely to draft a special teams-only type of player in the draft as they do not have much draft capital.
Not only do the 49ers need return help, but Kyle Shanahan could promise something else as well. There is no other team in the league that is better at utilizing their playmakers in unique ways than San Francisco.
Roberts has never really had much of a role on any offense that he has been on and if anyone is going to utilize him, it is Shanahan. Roberts could absolutely be the team's early-season Deebo Samuel in the backfield as the 49ers will want to limit Samuel's early-season carries at running back to keep the receiver fresh.