Martin and Cook arrive as Brown leaves in free agency frenzy

The San Francisco 49ers have been busy in the first days of free agency, and have now brought in four players following a further addition on Friday.

Offensive lineman Jonathan Martin just missed the cut for my previous blog post, signing late on Tuesday in a trade from the Miami Dolphins.

San Francisco parted with an undisclosed draft pick to acquire Martin, whose short NFL career has been enveloped by controversy.

Martin has not played a down since late October, when he left the team as a result of harassment against him from team-mates Richie Incognito, Mike Pouncey and John Jerry, the extent of which was revealed in a report commissioned by the NFL.

The 24-year-old tackle will get a fresh start in the Bay Area, reuniting with 49ers' head coach Jim Harbaugh, who coached Martin during his collegiate career at Stanford.

Martin, who has played at both ends of the offensive line, is likely to operate as a 'swing tackle' and work as an extra lineman in the 49ers' heavy formation.

And Martin is looking forward to working with Harbaugh as he aims to get his NFL career back on track.

"I'm just looking forward to getting back to playing football," Martin said. "It's a blank slate for me. I'm looking forward to revitalizing my career."

"His (Harbaugh's) enthusiasm is infectious. You can see it at every level of the organization it rubs off on anybody. Being with an organization focused on winning is the best thing I can ask for.

"Hindsight is 20-20. My focus is 100 percent on the future and moving forward.

"I want to do whatever I can do contribute to this o-line. It's one of the best o-lines in football already. They have five great starters and I'm going to do whatever I can to help the team."

On the defensive ball the 49ers have not retained free-agent cornerback Tarell Brown, who has made the move across the bay to join the Oakland Raiders.

Brown has signed a reported one-year $3.5million deal, as per ESPN's Adam Schefter, to join the Raiders and will line up against the Niners when Oakland hosts San Francisco in 2014.

The 49ers have negated the loss of Brown somewhat by bringing in cornerback Chris Cook from the Minnesota Vikings.

Cook, who measures in at 6'2" and 200 pounds is a big, long-armed cornerback, but struggled in four seasons with the Vikings, failing to grab a single interception.

In a conference call with Bay Area reporters, Cook said the Niners see him as a "press guy", and - much like Martin - that he sees his move to San Francisco as a fresh start.

There is very little risk involved in the Cook deal, and the 49ers will hope that secondary coach Ed Donatell can help the former second-round pick quickly turn his career around.

The 49ers do not appear finished in free agency, instead it could yet be the case that they add further depth to their roster in the coming days.

New England Patriots' wide-receiver Julian Edelman and Seattle Seahawks' cornerback Walter Thurmond III - as per SB Nation - were both scheduled to visit with the 49ers on Friday, while Pittsburgh Steelers' receiver Emmanuel Sanders is set to do the same on Saturday.

Thurmond would not be the first player to cross the Seattle-San Francisco divide but, after playing a considerable role in the Seahawks' title success, it is a move that would not go down well among fans of the NFL champions.

The 26-year-old, who has also visited with the Jacksonville Jaguars, played in the Seahawks' nickel defense last season, and could easily fill the same role for the 49ers.

Edelman is coming off a season that saw him gain over 1000 yards receiving and score six touchdowns.

Both he and Sanders, who totalled 740 yards and six touchdowns in 2013, could provide the 49ers with options on offense and the return game, although it is the latter that may prove to be the cheaper and more realistic solution for Jim Harbaugh's men.

Meanwhile, 49ers' free-agent running back Anthony Dixon has tweeted that he is to join the Buffalo Bills following four seasons with San Francisco.

Free Agency Brings Changes to the 49ers and this Blog

Free agency has started and it has been a day of change for the San Francisco 49ers and for this blog.

Indeed, 'A Brit's Bay View' is in the process of undergoing a revamp and has now become the official blog of '49ers Faithful UK.'

49ers Faithful UK is a fans group that allows all British supporters of the Niners to connect and communicate. They produce a regular podcast, and I am delighted to announce that this blog will now form part of their content.

Further alterations to the look of this page will be forthcoming, but for now please check out group's official Facebook and Twitter pages.

Now on to free agency, where the 49ers have been busier than expected in the early going.

There had been reports that San Francisco were keen to re-sign strong safety Donte Whitner, but those ambitions went unfulfilled as Ohio native Whitner put pen to paper on a deal that will see him return to his home state and play for the Cleveland Browns, as per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

But the Niners have moved to immediately sign a potential replacement by signing Antoine Bethea from the Indianapolis Colts on a four-year $21million deal, as per Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee.

Bethea is an eight-year veteran that should be considerable experience to the San Francisco locker room.

The 29-year-old's style differs to that of the hard-hitting Whitner, but he has still totalled 100 tackles or more in six of his eight seasons in the NFL.

ESPN analyst Matt Williamson believes Bethea is "better near the line of scrimmage than in deep coverage", but insists that the two-time Pro Bowler is "better than a stop-gap signing" (hat-tip to Bill Williamson of ESPN.com).

San Francisco may still choose to add another safety in May's draft but, with Whitner now gone, it is reassuring to have a veteran presence at the position to pair with impressive youngster Eric Reid.

Whitner will be a loss to an underrated San Francisco secondary, which lost another member as cornerback Carlos Rogers was released.

Cutting the 33-year-old Rogers saves the 49ers a reported $5.1m in salary cap space.

Rogers made the Pro Bowl after his first season with San Francisco in 2011, however, the 49ers had hoped to release the former Washington Redskin before last term, although that move was put on ice when Chris Culliver sustained a knee ligament injury.

Injuries hampered Rogers late in the regular season and in the post-season, and it comes as no surprise that the 49ers have opted to rid themselves of his salary.

One cornerback who is staying in San Francisco is Eric Wright, who re-signed to a reported one-year deal, as per The Sacramento Bee.

Wright enjoyed limited playing time last season after signing following his release from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, although he did snare the game-clinching interception in the week 14 win against the Seattle Seahawks.

The San Francisco native will likely have to prove himself to the front office and the coaching staff after a debut season in which he played in just 7 regular season games, but his ability to play in the team's nickel defense should help his cause.

Kicker Phil Dawson has also opted to re-sign with San Francisco on a two-year deal, a move that will please all 49ers fans after Dawson converted 32 of his 36 field goal attempts in a hugely impressive first campaign.

However, the 49ers did manage to shock everyone on the opening day of free agency by trading a sixth-round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for quarterback Blaine Gabbert.

It is a trade that will rightly bemuse fans given Gabbert's terrible NFL career so far.

Gabbert was selected 10th overall in the 2011 NFL Draft, but has endured three miserable seasons, playing just three games in 2013.

But the 49ers have a plethora of draft picks this year, and exchanging a late round selection for a back-up QB that has first-round talent is no gamble whatsoever.

San Francisco head coach Jim Harbaugh has had success developing Colin Kaepernick and Alex Smith, now with the Kansas City Chiefs, despite doubts over their respective abilities.

And the 49ers are hopeful Harbaugh can do the same with Gabbert.

"We thought highly of Blaine as an early entry into the 2011 NFL Draft," said 49ers general manager Trent Baalke on the 49ers' official website.

"He is a high-character individual that will be given every opportunity to develop within our system and we are looking forward to working with him."

Niner News: Boldin re-signs, Harbaugh refutes rumours

It's been fair few days since I last updated this blog, and in that time a lot has happened in the world of the San Francisco 49ers.

Thankfully, the 49ers news that has come out of San Francisco recently has been positive.

Indeed, fans were able to breathe a huge sigh of relief on Monday as wide receiver Anquan Boldin put pen to paper on a two-year extension.

Boldin had been set to enter free agency, which starts next Tuesday, but will  now stay with the 49ers after an excellent first season with San Francisco that saw him go over 1,000 yards for the campaign, a contribution that proved crucial in the prolonged absence of Michael Crabtree.

All you need to do is look at Boldin's highlight reel to see what kind of impact he had on the 49ers in 2013, but even with with his presence San Francisco will likely need to add another receiver to a talented group that lacks true breakaway speed.

Yet this remains extremely positive news for the 49ers and head coach Jim Harbaugh, who gave supporters something else to smile about by clarifying the speculation over his future with the team.

Reports had indicated that Harbaugh's days with the Niners could be numbered following suggestions of a power struggle, per CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora, with general manager Trent Baalke.

However, in an interview with Sports Illustrated's Michael Rosenberg, Harbaugh insisted that there is "zero possibility" of him leaving before the end of the 2015 season, when his contract with the 49ers expires:

Harbaugh also addressed the speculation of a feud with Baalke and was dismissive of the widely reported revelations that the Cleveland Browns had discussed a trade for his services with the 49ers:

"We're (Harbaugh and Baalke) both demanding and we want to be accountable for ourselves, for each other," Harbaugh said. "If you haven't had a brother, you probably don't understand the relationship between the GM and the head coach. We're partners on the same team. I have great respect for him. He works extremely hard at it and is very good at it. We are all part of a team. I believe in the structure we have. I don't want to change anything that we do in that regard.

"There was never any opportunity to leave the San Francisco 49ers. If that existed, it existed in somebody else's mind, not mine. I am too fond of my team, the players, the coaches. I really feel like we have one of the best, if not the best organizations in football."

San Francisco fans will hope that Harbaugh's long-term future is soon resolved, but with the coach seemingly committed to the team and last season's top receiver locked down to a new deal, the 49ers faithful have good reason to be cheerful.