When reviewing what went wrong for the San Francisco 49ers in 2024, one of the first things to comb over is their handling of free agency.

They didn’t bring in any impactful guys to uplift them. So, when all of their stars were out due to injury, it forced those players to do more than expected. It didn’t pan out, and the 49ers paid for it. However, free agency was a total loss for the 49ers. They did have one solid addition.

Who was the 49ers’ best 2024 free agent signing?

If you ask Pro Football Focus, they will say it was cornerback Isaac Yiadom. Here is their explanation on naming Yiadom as the 49ers’ best 2024 free agent signing.

“The 49ers quietly had a relatively unproductive free-agent class this season. Yiadom was one of the better players, but even his production is highlighted by a 76.1 run-defense grade that doesn’t do much to counter his 55.3 coverage grade.”

Basically, Yiadom wasn’t a good free agent signing. He is just not their worst one, which is indicative of how bad the free agency period was for the 49ers last year. However, there is one free agent the 49ers signed last year who was worth his salt.

Pass rusher Leonard Floyd deserves more credit. He wasn’t a significantly impactful player, but he was never brought on to be that. The hope was that he could give the 49ers a double-digit sack season to compliment Nick Bosa.

The problem with that was Bosa missed a chunk of the season due to a hip injury. It placed Floyd at the forefront of the attention for offenses to scheme around. And yet, that didn’t stop Floyd from stepping up with Bosa out.

Entering Week 15, Floyd generated 15 pressures (tied-13th most) and recorded 5.5 sacks (most) with Bosa out. He tried his best through a valiant effort. Floyd should be commended for that since he wasn’t meant to be the lead pass rusher.

2025 will provide Floyd with a better chance to increase his efficiency with a healthy Bosa and hopefully more talent on the defensive line.

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