The Facts: With only 58 players under contract, the 49ers will be buyers when the free-agent market opens Thursday. One position they will look at closely: wide receiver. A player expected to draw their attention is Rams free agent Britt, sources said.
Diehards Line:
Britt, 28, had the first 1,000-yard receiving season of his career last year despite a weak situation at quarterback in Los Angeles. He was a first-round pick (30th overall) by the Titans in 2009 and has good size at 6-3, 223 pounds. The Eagles -- who are one of several teams in the market for wideouts -- also are expected to show interest, ESPN reported. Meanwhile, various reports have linked the 49ers to Browns wideout Terrelle Pryor and to Bears' receiver Alshon Jeffery. Cleveland.com writes that the 49ers, Eagles, Browns and Titans will be among the teams in the market for Pryor, 27, who converted from quarterback to receiver in 2015 and who last year surpassed 1,000 receiving yards on a team that, like the Rams, had a shaky situation at quarterback. The 49ers also are looking at Jeffery, but perhaps not at the rate -- $14-$15 million per season -- the big Bears receiver is hoping to see on the open market. One source told Bee staffer Matthew Barrows he felt the 49ers either would bow out before the bidding reached that point or that Chicago would retain Jeffery at a lower rate. Several other free-agent receivers could tempt the 49ers, especially Washington free agent Pierre Garcon, who had his best season in 2013 when 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan was his OC. ... Stay tuned.