Niners target WR, DL on first day of FA; Rossum to return
http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/49ers/archives/020132.html?mi_rss=49ers%20Blog and Q&A
8:57 a.m. The 49ers just agreed to terms to bring Allen Rossum back for another season. No word yet on the details of the deal. Rossum had one of the highest punt- and kickoff-return averages of any full-time return man this season. He also returned a kick 104 yards for a touchdown during the 49ers' Monday night game against Arizona.
- On the first full day of free agency, the 49ers appear to be focusing on the defensive line and on receiver. Several reports have the 49ers scheduling a visit next week with Dallas defensive end Chris Canty, who is ideal for the 3-4 system the 49ers play. With Canty, 26, at end, the 49ers likely would slide either Isaac Sopoaga or Kentwan Balmer to nose tackle,. However, before Canty gets to San Francisco, he will visit the Redskins, Titans and Seahawks, all of whom have been aggressive early on.
Canty's also a guy that is looking to make up for lost dough. He was projected as a potential first-round pick during his final year at the University of Virginia. However, he suffered a knee injury that season, and a detached retina suffered during a bar brawl just prior to the scouting combine further sunk his draft stock. He was picked in the fourth round by the Dallas Cowboys.
- FoxSports reports that Titans receiver Brandon Jones has planned a visit. Jones is an ex- Oklahoma Sooner who stands 6-1 and weighs 212 pounds. He's also young, 26, though he's started 27 games over a four-year stint in Tennessee. Last year, Jones caught 41 passes for 449 yards and a touchdown. Jones has about the same dimensions as Josh Morgan -- which is exactly what the 49ers look for in a WR
- Redskins defensive end Demetric Evans is also planning a visit. This has been a 49ers strategy over the years: Target a team with little cap space and take advantage of the quality players they cut. That's what San Francisco did when it acquired CB Walt Harris a few years ago. Evans is 6-4, 287 and would be 30 before the season began. He's be a cheaper version of Canty.
- Also, former 49ers fullback and friend of Frank Gore's, Moran Norris is scheduled for a visit. If Norris signs, it ought to cushion the blow when the 49ers inform Gore that he might be sharing carries this season.
- Meanwhile, as reported last night 49ers are saying they are NOT one of the team's making a run at Cincinnati's T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who is the top receiver on the market. Houshmandzadeh was on NFL Live and listed the Seahawks, Eagles, Vikings and Giants as teams he'd like to play for in 2009.
- The 49ers also haven't expressed any interest at this point in New England's James Sanders, one of the few free safeties available, according the Sanders' agent. There's also been no interest in tackles Khalif Barnes and Marvel Smith.