49ers Left In Dust, Asomugha to Philly

Well, just about every team across the NFL has made some proactive moves. Two of the few teams that haven't reside here in the Bay Area.

The 49ers bowed out of the Nnamdi-sweepstakes, which was a bit surprising to hear after they just released their top corner, Nate Clements. Nate hasn't been an all-pro with San Francisco, but he's better than anything else they currently have on their roster and now they could be relegated into trying to convince him to comeback. No matter what, the 49ers need to add at least one corner through free agency and preferably someone who's started in this league and has a track record. With Joseph and Asomugha both inked elsewhere, the top two corners are now off the market, leaving the 49ers with the choice of Antonio Cromartie, Carlos Rogers or Chris Carr. If they fail to land one of those 3, Clements starts looking very plausible again, but who even knows if he'd consider returning after the 49ers gave him the axe Thursday? The 49ers also need to find a safety if they can't re-up with Dashon Goldson and must find a replacement for Takeo Spikes who went to San Diego. There are plenty of linebackers out there and it's actually the one spot where the 49ers do have some depth, so I'm not nearly as worried about that as I am their secondary at this point. What's worse is that defense is just part of the 49ers worries with 2 weeks to go before their first exhibition game.

Star running back Frank Gore has decided to hold out of camp in attempt to get a new deal from the 49ers that gives him near what DeAngelo Williams just signed for with Carolina, and I can't say I blame him. Not only is Gore out of camp, but the teams number one receiver, Michael Crabtree, will miss his 3rd consecutive preseason and again start the season behind the 8-ball after arriving to camp with a bum foot. The injury is expected to keep Crabtree shelved for over a month, which could threaten his chances to start the opener. It's also added another thing to the to-do list for Trent Balkee and he's apparently inquired about Chargers free agent wideout Malcom Floyd. I mentioned the other day I'd like to see the 49ers make a move for Braylon Edwards, who I think is the best WR on the market with Rice and Holmes now off. He'd give the team a legit deep threat (17.6 YPC last year) and another reliable red zone target for Alex Smith. If not Edwards, Floyd wouldn't be a bad fallback as he too is a big deep threat who excels in the red zone, but Edwards is the superior player, younger and more explosive. That said, Edwards does have some off-field issues to take care of but I don't think he'd be a problem for the 49ers and I think he's ready to get his head on straight after barley avoiding jail time on a DUI this summer.

Also in 49ers news, the one player they've brought in from outside the organization is all-pro kicker David Akers. I really like the add. Joe Nedney was solid during his tenure here, but he was losing leg strength with each passing season, and Akers is one of the most powerful, accurate kickers in all of football.... Across the Bay, there still hasn't been much on the Raiders front. They've spoken with free agent tackle Jared Gaither, but nothing appears imminent. I still don't understand why they haven't re-signed Zach Miller and are just allowing him to sit on the free agent market as not only the top TE, but one of the best free agents on the market. They too should be looking into receivers like Mike Sims-Walker and Braylon Edwards and need a replacement for Asomugha like the 49ers do for Clements.