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.

Kilgore set to take center stage after contract extension?

The 49ers put pen to paper on a contract extension with one of their players on Thursday, but it wasn't who you might think.

It wasn't Anquan Boldin, Michael Crabtree, Colin Kaepernick or any of San Francisco's marquee players, instead it was an offensive lineman who now appears set to become a hugely important component of the team in 2014.

Guard/Center Daniel Kilgore has signed a three-year extension that will keep him with San Francisco until 2018.

"We are pleased to extend the contract of a talented, young player like Dan," general manager Trent Baalke said in a statement.

"This move is another example of our philosophy to extend the contracts of our own young players."

Kilgore's extension suggests a bigger role for the 2011 fifth-round draft pick, who has operated as a backup in his three seasons with the 49ers.

Indeed, with free agent veteran Jonathan Goodwin looking increasingly unlikely to return, Kilgore could well head into the next campaign as the starting center.

The move reflects a long-standing 49ers philosophy of promoting from within, and they will hope that the ex-Appalachian State man can repay their faith and slot seamlessly into the offensive line should he be asked to occupy the center spot.

Niner News: Harbaugh saga rumbles on, Boldin & Whitner extensions close?

The focus in the NFL over the past few days has been predominantly on the combine and the performances of the top draft prospects.

However, in terms of the San Francisco 49ers, much of the attention has been focused on whether they will be able keep their key pieces with the organisation.

It is the future of head coach Jim Harbaugh that has attracted the most media speculation following the bizarre reports that the Cleveland Browns had discussed a trade with San Francisco for Harbaugh's services.

Those reports have since been verified by both the Browns and the 49ers, whose owner Jed York insisted that talks did not progress very far.

Yet the rumours concerning Harbaugh's future are refusing to go away, with CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora reporting that the former Stanford coach is barely speaking with general manager Trent Baalke.

Harbaugh believes he has outperformed his current contract, of which he still has two years left and is, - after three straight NFC Championship game appearances and one Super Bowl bow - reportedly keen to become one of the highest paid coaches in the NFL.

However, if La Canfora's report is to be believed, then the 49ers may have to choose between Harbaugh and Baalke.

It is a worrying situation for 49ers fans, who have seen their team transformed under Harbaugh in the last three seasons, and ahead of a crucial off-season, let's hope that their issues can be resolved in the near future.

There is some promising news for 49ers fans to enjoy, however, with ESPN's Adam Schefter reporting that the Niners and wide receiver Anquan Boldin are "closing in" on a new deal.

Schefter's report ties in with the the positive comments made by both Harbaugh and Baalke surrounding Boldin's prospective extension.

Locking Boldin down to a new contract would be an extremely positive step for San Francisco. Boldin was exceptional in filling the void left by the injured Michael Crabtree and, while he no longer possesses all the tools of a complete wide receiver, his physicality should continue to be a huge asset to the 49ers.

Among the other 49ers set to become free agents on March 11 is strong safety Donte Whitner.

San Francisco had feared that they would be unable to keep Whitner due to salary cap concerns but, according to the Sacramento Bee's Matt Barrows, there is now an increased confidence that Whitner will stay in the bay following the move to reduce backup Craig Dahl's base salary from $1.35 million to $825,000.

Meanwhile, Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News reports that talks over a prospective extension for Colin Kapernick have got off to a positive start.

Kaepernick has his detractors, but there can be no doubt that these early signs of progress are good news for a 49ers organisation eager to maintain the core of a championship calibre team.

Niner Nuggets: Combine Press Conferences

So the combine is underway and both head coach Jim Harbaugh and Trent Baalke have held press conferences in the past two days.

Here I go through some highlights of what Harbaugh and Baalke had to say.

San Francisco fans will undoubtedly be desperate for the team to re-sign prospective free-agent wide receiver Anquan Boldin.

And Harbaugh offered supporters hope on that front, indicating that negotiations are progressing in a "positive direction"after describing the issue of keeping Boldin as his "top priority."

However, there was less positive news on the situation of linebacker NaVorro Bowman, who tore his ACL in the NFC Championship game loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

Accoring to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee, Harbaugh believes that "halfway through the season" is a realistic projection for Bowman's return.

Meanwhile, Harbaugh revealed that defensive end Tank Carradine, the second round draft pick in 2013 who missed all of this past season with a torn ACL, had surgery to clean out the mass on his knee and is expecting the former Florida State Seminole to make great strides ahead of the 2014 campaign.

"He wasn't able to straighten out his leg before that, and then they took that [mass] out and his leg went straight," Harbaugh said in quotes reported by ESPN. 

"He looks like a different guy now since that procedure. I think he's going to have a great offseason and look forward to his progress very, very much."

Among the non-49ers issues discussed, Harbaugh reportedly re-iterated his view that offensive lineman Jonathan Martin, whose career has been disrupted by the well-documented Miami Dolphins bullying scandal, can have a successful NFL career. Martin played for Harbaugh at Stanford.

Harbaugh also said that he respected the honesty of draft prospect Michael Sam, who will become the NFL's first openly-gay player if he is selected in May's draft, and backed Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel to have a successful career.

GM Baalke re-iterated Harbaugh's "top priority" stance on Boldin.

"We're just getting into that."

"We've always maintained that our No. 1 objective in the offseason is to take care of our own guys – to identify the guys we feel we need on our football team moving forward and then find a way to make it work and make it fit from a financial standpoint. It's no different this season."

Baalke also suggested that the 49ers could move forward with the salaries of running-backs Frank Gore, Kendall Hunter and LaMichael James as they are.

"We're in good shape from the cap's standpoint, so the decision on that (is) there's really no decision to be made. We can move forward exactly as is, if that’s what we choose to do."

On the matter of Bowman, Baalke suggested that Nick Moody and Michael Wilhoite could split time in his stead.

"Michael Wilhoite and Nick Moody are both on the football team and both have done a nice job. Nick, obviously, is a young guy, still developing at the linebacker position. And Michael Wilhoite is a guy who has stepped in and played well when called upon.

"We're going to address that. We're going to take a hard look to see if we need to infuse a little more competition into that position and the No. 1 thing regarding NaVorro is making sure he’s 100 percent before we bring him back. He's not an individual – nor is any individual on our football team – that we want to rush back into action.

"When he's ready to go, he’s ready to go. And if that's mid-season or middle-to-late part of the season, whenever that is, that’s when we're bringing him back to the field."

Baalke addressed a number of other issues, such as the roles of receiver Quinton Patton and tight end Vance McDonald; LaMichael James' lack of playing time; the future of back-up QB Colt McCoy and the expectations surrounding Carradine

On Patton: "I think you saw toward the end of the year he already started to make a leap. And we've always maintained the most growth that takes places is between the year 1 and the year 2. And we'll expect that to happen in Quinton's case."

On Carradine: "Tank's in a good place. He really is. He's worked awfully hard. Tank is pushing 290 pounds right now. He's had a great offseason that really started at the beginning of this year. He got on the active for a little while then was put back down. He's done an outstanding job. We expect big things from Tank."

On LaMichael James' lack of playing time: "All I can say is it's a crowded backfield. And with Frank having an awfully good football season. I think coach (Harbaugh) mentioned yesterday, A-plus-plus. Frank (Gore) had that kind of year. And it's tough. There are certain game plans where LaMichael was meant to play a little bit bigger role than he ended up playing, but that's the game. Every game you go in with a plan and sometimes that plan changes based on what you're seeing and what the other team is doing. So you got to be flexible. It's up to LaMichael and it's up to every play. We tell every one of our players this: 'It's up to you to earn time on the field.' So it's not as much about what he hasn't been doing, it's as much about what Frank has been doing."

On TE Vance McDonald: "If you watched us play, you understand how complicated that position is, and how many different hats Vance had to wear this year as a rookie. It's a very difficult thing. When you have as much volume as we have and he's put in as many positions that he’s put in, it’s such a learning curve. It takes away from your physicality, your physical traits because you're thinking your way through the game. So I think there's going to be a big jump with Vance next year and what he’s able to bring to this football team. The game is going to slow down for him. We felt very good about how he played this year and performed, especially when you consider all of things we we're asking him to do."

The transcript from Baalke's presser can found be on the 49ers' official website.

Breaking Down The 49ers roster: Special Teams

We round off my break down of the San Francisco 49ers roster with a look at the special teams.

Put simply the 49ers need to make only one change in the special teams, and that is to find a kick returner capable of providing an actual scoring threat. 

The departure of Ted Ginn left San Francisco without a specialist return man prior to this past season and, while LaMichael James performed to a solid standard following the release of wide receiver Kyle Williams, the running-back rarely threatened to score from either a kick or punt return.

Finding a decent return man in the off-season should be a priority for the 49ers, who will undoubtedly look to re-sign kicker Phil Dawson after a near-perfect season.

Dawson made 32 of his 36 field goals in the regular season and kicked the game-winners against the Seattle Seahawks in week 14 and the Green Bay Packers in the wild card round.

Meanwhile, Andy Lee remains a Pro Bowl calibre punter and Kevin McDermott has not made any mistakes at long-snapper.

Look for the 49ers to make every effort to re-sign Dawson, while Kassim Osgood, arguably the special teams player of year behind the kicker, has surely done enough to earn a new deal.