John Lynch is understandably excited about the 49ers’ offseason additions. After all, he’s in charge of their mergers and acquisitions.
Speaking Monday for the first time since their “productive” free agency period opened two weeks ago, Lynch explained to Bay Area reporters how the 49ers should benefit from their latest hires.
One highlight is how multiple defensive linemen were secured under two-year pacts, thus pausing the 49ers’ annual shuffling in which linemen flee as one-year wonders. Even more reinforcements are coming in next month’s NFL Draft, where the 49ers own 10 picks to parlay into young players or better draft slots.
Here is what Lynch likes about nine newcomers, as he relayed Monday at the NFL’s annual owners meetings in Orlando, Florida:
On defensive end Leonard Floyd
Lynch: “Competes at a real high level. Really physical player. Really good at all facets of the game. He just gives us a very consistent guy opposite of (Nick) Bosa, that can make people pay when they have to give all the attention to Nick. He’s also really durable. He plays a ton. And I love the way he chases. He just plays with great effort. To be able to land him was great.”
On defensive lineman Yetur Gross-Matos
Lynch: “I told his agent he handled it like a house in Los Altos. Priced it low then got the whole league interested. He’s the guy we had the most people in the league saying, ‘Man, we were in on him,’ after we landed him. He’s a long, skilled athlete. We’ve been at our best when we’ve had a guy – Arden Key, Charles Omenihu — who can play outside and slide down inside. It gives you another layer of versatility to your D-line. There’s going to be some transition for him.”
On quarterback Josh Dobbs
Lynch: “We gathered and said let’s get one more option for competition at that No. 2. Dobbs is the guy we settled on. And we had competition for him. But we got him done and we’re excited about that. … To have that belief in Brock (Purdy), to have that stability, then two backups we like and compete for No. 2 … the trend is everyone is keeping three (quarterbacks). It’s nice in the building to have three options. It is nice to focus on the other parts on your roster.”
On linebacker De’Vondre Campbell
Lynch: “That was a blessing, because things fell through with (Eric) Kendricks (who signed with the Cowboys). It was like well we thought we had that, then two or three guys go, and it’s, ‘Man we have an an issue here.’ Green Bay happened to release De’Vondre. He’s a guy we really respected and liked in pass coverage. He’s an excellent player, and has played the run effectively. Kyle was in Atlanta when De’Vondre was there and knew about him from practicing against him. De’Vondre has had a very productive career. It was a blessing he became available and we pounced on that.”
On cornerback Isaac Yiadom
“I thought he had a career year. I asked him, what clicked, because he’s been a productive special teams player, and it’s never happened for him as consistently on defense as it did last year. He talked about something familiar to me in my career, because I didn’t become a full-time starter until Year 3: Stop doubting yourself and let’s go. He was able to find that and have that belief and it really flourished.”
On defensive tackle Maleik Collins
Lynch: “He’s a guy I’ve studied and admired for a long time, because Rod Marinelli, a guy I’m close with, coached him in Dallas. Rod thinks the world of him. Kris (Kocurek, the defensive line coach) obviously has a great voice on anything we do there. We just like the fit and he plays with tremendous effort. Quick. Disruptive. Had a really good year last year. I’m excited to land Maleik.”
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On cornerback Chase Lucas, linebacker Ezekiel Turner
Lynch: “Adding another good special teams player to the mix is really critical, so with Chase and Ezekiel we add that. They can play good defense in a pinch, as well.”
On Brandon Staley, who’s expected to be named Assistant Head Coach
Lynch:“Brandon gives us an ability to add layers to who we are without compromising the integrity of who we are. Brandon is an intelligent guy. We scrimmaged against him a couple of years ago, and Kyle and I spent a lot of time talking and appreciating his mind for the game. Having a guy with a head-coach mindset, even in the free agent meetings, he’s real sharp there, being respectful and quiet until asked. It’s a great add for us. That defensive staff is meshing real well.”
