The free-agent signing period begins Wednesday at 1 p.m. This is Part Two of a series that examines the 49ers’ biggest offseason needs and their options in free agency. Previously, we focused on wide receivers.
The 49ers answered one roster question on Friday when they restructured the contract of veteran linebacker Malcolm Smith to keep him on the roster.
But what does it really mean? Do the 49ers still need to add another player to line up alongside middle linebacker Fred Warner in the team’s defense? Is Smith considered a starter, as he was when the club signed him as a free agent in 2017?