49ers trade Eli Harold to Lions for conditional 7th-round pick in 2020

Posted By on August 23, 2018

San Francisco 49ers outside linebacker Eli Harold (57) celebrates during the second half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Dec. 24, 2017. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

See if you can explain this one.

According to MLive, the 49ers just traded starting outside linebacker Eli Harold to the Detroit Lions for a conditional seventh-round draft pick in 2020, which is basically nothing. They gave him away.

Harold recorded only five sacks in three seasons, and did not play in the 49ers nickel defense. But, he played in their base defense and defended the run well.

Here’s what 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said about Harold on December 28: “What Eli’s been able to do run-game wise, he’s one of the better edge setters I’ve ever been around from a SAM linebacker standpoint.”

By trading Harold, the 49ers made their base run defense weaker.

Why did they make this move? Is it because Harold was the last of the kneelers?

This article has 249 Comments

  1. Eli Harold was not very good so this isn’t a shocking move. Here’s how I see it:

    1. The 49ers determined Watson and Pita were better. Rather than cut Harold they determined they would try to get something for him.

    2. The 49ers determined Eli Harold would not be a starter and told him so. He requested a trade and the 49ers obliged.

    Trying to tie this move to the fact Harold kneeled is asinine. York is one of the more liberal owners in the league and he’s donated millions to charities supported by Colin Kaepernick. The Anthem issue is a non-issue in the trade.

          1. I agree with you on that point but the organization clearly thinks Tartt is better and Reid would be his backup. Also, important to note Reid hasn’t signed anywhere else either. It may be that Reid has an over-inflated perception of his value and that’s what prevented the 49ers from re-signing him.

            1. I’m not sure the organization clearly thinks Tartt is better. They might think Tartt is less of a distraction. Reid started over Tartt last year.

              1. NFL history is littered with stories of backups overtaking the starters and earning the job. The angle on being a distraction is legit. Reid wasn’t only kneeling. He was at the center of trying to get a social justice movement started within the NFL. In that regard, he was much, much more of a leader than Colin Kaepernick. It’s possible the 49ers decided Eric Reid cared more about social justice than football and they had a guy they thought would be as good as or better than Reid so they cut ties. Doesn’t change the fact that the Eli Harold trade had absolutely nothing to do with kneeling.

              2. Tartt didn’t overtake Reid and earn the job. That never happened.

                The 49ers made their base defense weaker for no good reason by trading Harold.

              3. I honestly don’t believe the kneeling, by either Reid or Harold, impacted the 49ers decision-making process in their evaluations.
                – I do agree with your suggestion the Giants move on from Bochy……. and I felt that way two years ago.

              4. The 49ers clearly think Tartt is better than Reid. The distraction issue is real but there is no doubt in my mind that kneeling has absolutely nothing to do with the reasons CK, Reid, and Harold are no longer with the team. That’s just innuendo sportswriters throw around for clicks.

              5. If Saleh thought Tartt was better than Reid, he would have played Tartt over Reid.

                “There is no doubt in my mind that kneeling has absolutely nothing to do with the reasons CK, Reid, and Harold are no longer with the team.”

                That makes one of you.

              8. When Reid came back from his injury, the 49ers kept Tartt in the starting lineup and moved Reid to linebacker. They clearly thought Tartt was the better option then or they would have given the job back to Reid.

              10. Ward must have knelt too along with Kilgore, Kerley, Bowman, Armstrong Rashard Robinson, Carlos Hyde, Trent Brown, Fusco, Elvis Dumervil, Paulsen and the most socially active Brian Hoyer! Lol

                Come on man! Lmao

              11. Grant:
                * From the 49ers: When the 49ers needed another strong safety last week, they didn’t re-sign Eric Reid, and coach Kyle Shanahan explained why Tuesday.
                * Basically, Shanahan said Reid wouldn’t be interested in playing as a backup for the league minimum of $790,000.
                * Unless you know something Lynch & Shanahan doesn’t, or you think they’re disembeling, if they didn’t think Tartt was better, Reid wouldn’t be a backup playing for the league minimum.

              13. while it is impossible to say with absolute certainty that eli is no longer on the team bc of kneeling, or that reid is no longer with the team due to kneeling, it is noticeable that all kneeling players are no longer with the team. And i would even go so far as to say that it is almost certain that reid is no longer with the team due to kneeling and his vocal part in the whole matter (and its even more noticeable that no team has picked him up). to claim with certainty that it has no part in the team’s decision is to practice willful ignorance.

              14. I think something that played a major factor and anyone with a brain ( sans those with a brain but motivated by agenda ) could figure it out, was the reason for Reids sudden improvement after a series of down years. This last year was his contract year. After his impressive rookie season Reids play was never the same and many people figure it was because his first concussion impacted his level of aggression. He dialed it back to avoid a repeat.

                This last season was his contract year and he was also aware of the cuts the new staff was making so he was fighting for his position as well. So when you have a player who’s level of play has gotten progressively worse and suddenly it picks up in his contract year that sends off a red flag, that the last season might be the best you will get out of him. The fact that he would only accept a multiyear contract supports the idea that his intent was to go back to playing soft once he had his new contract.

                It is not out of the question that teams believe they have seen the best of Reid all ready. Generally a young player will get progressively better not worse until his contract year comes up.

              15. Eric R. may have “kneeled”, but he was always very respectful. He was not much of a distraction, from my view. He didn’t come across as trying to be the focus, it wasn’t per se “about him”. Again, one man’s view. If they unloaded even in part for his social stance, that is very disappointing. But would not surprise me.

            3. The organization felt Tartt was better. Reid’s LB role was much more situational (passing downs). If they really thought Reid was better, he would have been in the role that got more snaps.

              “We went with [S Jaquiski] Tartt. We thought that was the right way to go. You can’t give a lot of money to backups, and that’s what he would be if he came here. But, I like Eric. Eric is a good player, he’s a good person. That’d be great if we could add him to that role. I don’t think he would be that interested in it.” – KS

              “I really like covering this regime, they’re very transparent” – G Cohn

          2. I don’t think Reid didn’t show that much the last couple of years and is maybe a concussion away from retirement.
            Are Moore and Reid ready to play this year Grant, if need be?

              1. I thought he played better than Reid closer to the line of scrimmage showing a bit more speed in his pursuits to make the tackle- bit more impulsive I suppose. My concern now is with coverage, but he can’t be worse than Reid there.
                How are Moore and Reid looking? – I like that the 49ers have been transitioning to getting more speed on the field, and that remains a concern with Tartt (I am a fan of his though).

              3. Grant,
                Why don’t you ask Lynch in the next presser why none of the kneelers are no longer with the team?

              4. I don’t think kneeling had anything to do with the Niners not resigning him and Shanhan’s recent comments about Reid say as much. He made it sound like they’d welcome Reid back in a backup role but Reid isn’t interested in that.

              6. But now they supposely got rid of Eli one of their better run stoppers on top of not getting a pass rusher via FA, trade or draft. So they wont stop the run or be able to russ the passer. They must think JG is going to win the games by himself and thats probably why he got all that money

              8. Grant:
                * “What has Tartt shown?”
                * Good question, why don’t you ask Shanahan, or Lynch to answer it? Obviously you
                don’t know the answer, or you wouldn’t be asking diptown to answer it.

      2. Ha!

        Grant, your instagatinonary reporting belies your youthful ingonrance and capitalist wont.

        Not a story until some one pretends it is.

        If you followed the 49ers instead of using them as a tool for your bread winning endeavor it should be clear that Shanynch are ALL about this silly game and prefer to focus on building a team.

        Capitalist instagatinonary reporter’s job?

        Make stuff up to get clicks

        2. The only lasting impressions I have of Eric Reid are 1) being over drafted 2) kneeling for the anthem and 3) blowing out a borderline HOFS knee out in a championship game

          1. If he did not start playing soft due to his valid fear of concussions, he would not be considered over drafted. For how he played his rookie year he was a value draft. Problem is that he started to play soft after his first concussion and that affected his play considerably. A player in that type of situation might decide that they have to throw caution to the wind for at least one season because their new contract depends on it.

            We always need to be suspicious of contract years that follow multiple season on mediocrity.

        3. instagatinonary
          I dont believe this is a word in English. And If it were a word, I believe its STILL misspelled

      3. Come on Grant you’re better than this. Goodwin raised his fist during the anthem, so you think they’ll trade him too?

        He was going to get cut and they got a pick for him. It’s easier to find guys to set the edge than that can rush the passer. I think we’re making room for a trade of our own or coaches saw the same qualities with our own but with more upside.

      4. Seriously Grant? Eli Harold has done next to nothing for this defense for 3+ years, and had already made the decision to stop kneeling in protest prior to the start of this preseason, yet you’re trying to find an alternative motive other than ShanaLynch believing they may as well recoup something for him before they flat out release him in a couple weeks?

        Maybe things really are as simple as they appear. The 49ers have other SAM linebackers who can set an edge. Harold was drafted to do more than set the edge, and he’s been a miserable failure at everything other than run defense. May as well get something for him, and perhaps give Warner a look at the SAM, along with the others who were already pushing to replace Harold heading into training camp.

          1. Grant, we’ll await your post-game report on edge-setting players after the Colts game. Wonder if it’ll be in the good or not-so-good category. :)

          2. Well, it’s hard for me to say because I don’t get to see the other guys every day in practice, and it’s also hard to evaluate the other SAM’s with Eli Harold taking the lion’s share of the snaps. What I can say is that, while I think his run defense is certainly his best attribute, his ability to set the edge is certainly not a “game changer”. And I’ve seen next to zero growth from Eli as an edge rusher. He’s athletic, I’ll give him that, but I haven’t seen anything Eli has done to distinguish himself from guys like Dakota Watson, who I think is a good fit at SAM, especially in terms of run defense, and deserves a chance to prove himself. Watson may not be quite as athletic as Harold, but Watson is every bit as stout IMO, and he’s under contract (with his 2 year, $3,450,000 extension) through 2019, unlike Harold, who will become a FA after this season. And, who knows, maybe Mark Nzeocha has potential to develop if he’s given more opportunities. Same goes for Pita Taumoepenu, who does appear to me to have more potential than Harold in terms of getting after the QB.

            And, I don’t know Grant …. maybe it is possible that Shanahan and Saleh have a plan?

            I’m certainly more inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt in terms of having a plan moving forward, as opposed to trying to find some kind of alterior motive for trading Eli Harold, like his kneeling for the anthem in protest, which he’s indicated ended for him after last season. I mean, you do realize he’s been standing for every anthem during the 2018 season (preseason).

            This is where I think you paint yourself into a corner sometimes Grant, almost going out of your way to find a sensational, controversial angle to something that could be as simple as Harold being yet another Baalke flop.

            Perhaps ShanaLynch decided it simply wasn’t in the team’s best interest to keep Eli on the roster this season, and wanted to recoup something for a guy whom they were planning on releasing. Lack of a pass rush sure appears to be the biggest issue for this front 7, and Eli was certainly part of the problem. For all we know, ShanaLynch are laying the groundwork to trade for another OLB. Or perhaps there are a handful of players whom they have identified as potential waiver claims, whom they feel fit Saleh’s system, and therefore have the potential to develop into really good SAM linebackers, the same way they appear to have hit paydirt with the Sheldon Day waiver claim?

            Or perhaps it’s even all of the above?

            It’s worth noting that PFF graded Eli Harold’s 2017 performance as POOR, with an overall grade of 56.6 (Dakota Watson graded out better). While PFF is certainly not the be-all, end-all of NFL player evaluations, an overall grade of 56.6 from PFF would suggest Eli wasn’t particularly good at run defense either, and we know the kid has never shown growth as a pass rusher, and his lack of pass rush skills have actually become a liability for this defense. Let’s get one thing clear …. Eli Harold SUCKS as an NFL pass rusher!

            These are things we know. We know that Eli Harold hasn’t come anywhere close to living up to status as the 79th overall pick in the 2015 draft? And it would sure seem that the team has absolutely no intention of extending his contract beyond this season, meaning either way, he’s gone in 2019. What we don’t yet know is whether there is currently another player on this roster who is an upgrade for Harold, or whether the team has its sights set on acquiring another player to take Harold’s place.

          3. It’s a good question. Brock or Pita I guess?

            This may have freed up a spot for a 4th RB

    2. Agreed.

      One would think that w Harold’s size and speed, he would have shown something at this point…………. but he has largely been invisible- wish we could have packaged Marsh along with him. And sadly, it doesn’t appear my optimism for Attaochu is going to come to fruition. The one solace is that if the interior line is strong w Day, Mitchell, Thomas and Jones, then maybe we see Buckner outside more than we might have anticipated.

  2. It could also be, because Lynch lied when he said you have to be pretty good to beat out Marsh and Harold.
    He offers absolutely nothing in terms of pass rush and has proven it. What is the point of having a guy who gives you nothing on most downs hold a roster spot when you can at least hope to develop someone else?
    This could allow them to experiment with Blair and Pitta t out there.
    Not everything is a conspiracy.

  3. Smh at this trade…..just like T.Brown what is the rush to get rid of players that could be of huge help during the season….

    You keep often injured Malcolm Smith with a huge contract and trade Eli a serviceable OLB on a cheap contract….

    1. Eli Harold could be of huge help?

      Say what?

      First off, Malcom Smith’s contract makes it almost impossible to trade him. Eli is on the final year of his rookie contract, therefore, he did have some value, all be it, not much, but hey, if your going to cut him anyways, in order to make room for another player of value, why not get something for him. FYI, ShanaLynch have already had success with 7th round picks.

      1. At least if it looks like they are going to cut someone they work out a trade earlier than the last few days before cut downs.

  4. Harold is just another Baalke pick that just didn’t pan out. Making room for the new guys. I doubt the kneeling issue played any part in the decision.

    1. Undercenter

      I agree…I had high hopes for Eli Harold to develop as an edge rusher, but it just didn’t happen…I always thought that Aaron Lynch was much better, and I still maintain that trading him was a large mistake…I do agree with Shoup that this opens up a hole to break-in Pita and SolomonThomas…to develop into good edge rushers…It’s gonna’ work…

      1. Aaron Lynch was physically talented but unfortunately a lazy knucklehead. He came to camp out of shape almost every year and was often injured and got suspended for PEDs. He showed a lot promise his rookie year but went downhill from there. I think the coaching staff had enough of him. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have the desire to be a good player and is one of those players letting all that physical talent go to waste. Too bad, if we could have put Harold’s head on Lynch’s body we would have had one really good player.

  5. and if he was so valuable, why only a 7th for him………… I thought he had potential, but you can only wait so long to see it. I am anxious to see how Sherman does on Saturday- I think that will provide a decent measuring stick for the 49ers success this season since Colbert, Tartt and Witherspoon all have potential to be great, but largely remain question marks.

  6. Better then nothing I guess.

    Another high pick by Baalke that never panned out. Not that Lynch/Shanny appear to be much better. I wonder If they’ll manage to get a 7th for Thomas in a season or two ;)

  7. Grant, you seem to have two personalities. One loves and praises the 49ers, the other loathes and criticizes the 49ers.

    Your emotional state seems to dictate your writing style. You should remove the emotion from your writing and be more objective in your reporting.

    The facts are Eli Harold struggled to stand out as an OLB. He struggled to rush the passer. Yes, he might have set the edge well against the run, but he’s also struggled in pass defense.

    So if he was only good in 1 out of 3 things, why get upset that the 49ers traded him?

      1. Ha! No, it means that you’re letting your feelings about something get in the way of reporting objectively.

        You write some really good and objective pieces, but when the 49ers do something you don’t like, you let your emotion and opinion direct the article. There’s nothing wrong with objective criticism, but when your emotions dictate the article, you lose credibility.

        I will always read your column, I just wish you would be more objective and less emotional.

  8. Geez, a conditional 7th rounder is as little as you *might* get. Not that Harold is worth anything more though. Lynch should have at least made them throw in an unconditional bag of chips…

  9. Terms like “base run defense” are losing meaning as offenses stick to staying in 11 personal and defenses are lining up in nickel >60% of the time.

  10. I think Eli Harold stinks. Good riddance. This is not a big loss. This was a position of weakness that should have been addressed in the offseason. Saleh also said Carradine was elite. Saleh’s praise for these players is meaningless.

    Carradine – Elite
    Harold – one of the better edge setters
    Trent Brown – Best pass protector ever seen

    Beware on Niners when the praise is hyperbolic.

    2. that’s a good point. what they say about these players are MEANINGLESS and they shouldn’t do that. Just tell the truth. If a players sucks then just say that and release them or trade them. don’t sit their and say good things and say they are the best but then trade that player for no value at all. to me that’s just bad business but part of the NFL culture I guess.

    3. Craig Robinson

      What would you expect….if you were hoping to get something in return ? “How’d you like to give me a D-pick for this guy that I’ve been hiding ? Good ? Hell no got on the IR for 2 years for tieing his cleats “

    1. Hmm…if he invested in strippers-drugs-crime you will say his interest is conflicated……like you it’s hard to like the guy after our history with him….but give credit where it is due…..the guy is one of the smartest when it comes to investing his money

      1. Feeling is mutual Delta Bravo. I didn’t say Sherman wasn’t smart. Obviously, the guy is intelligent.

    2. Any different from when a bunch of teams signed deals with Draft Kings and that ilk a while back?

      1. I guess I must have missed the deals between teams and Draft Kings. Was the deal between individual teams or the entire league.

    3. I don’t see a conflict of interest, I see a businessman jumping on an opportunity. Sherm is a smart guy.

      1. So Richard Sherman owns a daily fantasy site. Is Richard Sherman allowed to play? Is Richard Sherman allowed to have access to the algorithms the company uses to set prices for individual players? Do the algorithms provide any strategic information which might provide a competitive edge to the 49ers in game planning? If Richard is allowed to use his own companies site, what happens when he starts the QB from the opposing team?

        I’m not saying the guy shouldn’t be allowed to invest but there are certainly questions to ask about potential impropriety.

        1. It’s a stat game Houston and very different from the regular player vs. player formats. There is nothing to be gained strategically for Sherman. I doubt he’s done anything other than put some of the money up to get it off the ground.

          1. You may be right. I guess I come from generation where athletes were required to stay as far away from gambling as possible in order to protect the integrity of the games.

            1. I don’t disagree with you on this point. If a player is betting on the outcome of the game he’s playing in, then that is a major problem. This isn’t that though.

  12. They made this move because I don’t believe teams select, trade or sign players based upon their ability to stop the run. I believe NFL defensive coaches feel like most any player has the ability to defend the run, that’s just basic defense. Stopping the pass is where NFL coordinators spend their time scheming and they want players that can help them with that.

    2. What does that say about Solomon Thomas’ season last year then? Was he a plus or a minus for the team?

  13. I don’t think that’s really the point. I didn’t say playing NFL defense against the run is easy I just said that coaches don’t stay awake at night trying to find players that can set the edge. They’re not going to hold onto a guy that is worthless against the majority of plays they’ll face just because he can do something that they can find in someone else that can also possibly bring more against the pass.

    1. Ok, when I click reply it’s posting it as it’s own topic. Been doing that for about a week or so now.

      *edit* Haha figures it works on this one….SOB!

      1. I have the same problem, sometimes refreshing the page helps but more often then not I have to close the article down and then re open it.

        1. Chrome really struggles with this site. Whenever I’m having issues I tend to re-open it under IE and it’ll work fine.

    2. If the 49ers had a better edge-setter on the roster than Harold, he would have been playing over Harold. Any way you slice it, the run defense just got worse.

      1. Maybe but by how much? A small dent in the run defense temporarily while they find someone that can bring more to the game is worth it. That’s how you improve.

        1. Let’s not forget the compensation involved here. A conditional 7th? That’s just a hairline above a cold sandwich and a half eaten bag of chips. There’s no guarantee that he’ll even make the team and given what they were willing to take I’d say it was pretty clear he wasn’t going to make ours.

          If Harold brought something valuable to the run game they would have received more then that.

              1. It’s about the same as they fetched in August 2013 for their last “great” edge setter, Parys Haralson

              2. Haralson did his job well. The 49ers got rid of him only because they couldn’t keep Aldon Smith off the field.

            1. Grant
              * “Who’s a better edge setter on the 49ers than him?”
              * TBD Grant, and likely why they traded him….As CFC said, to give someone else a chance?

          1. Interesting logic: Eli, “the elite SAM”, was the best edge setter Niners. Since he’s gone, “they can’t set the edge, they can’t stop the run.”
            Have you considered that Saleh already has a replacement lined up and that the reason Eli has not knelt this year was that his agent had already been informed that he would be shopped around? Saleh probably thinks that between Watson and Taumoepenu, they can get adequate production at SAM.

              1. might not this deal to DET (considering the modest pick sent in return) may be additional “quid-pro-quo” to BB to help out Patricia’s D??

            2. that’s the problem with this current management on this team. they are going to risk their season on two players Watson who is suppose to be a backup player and Pita a late round pick who was on the PS to play a full 16 game season and they think theirs not going to be any issues. The 49ers state they have a great group of LB’s on the team, they only have 1 and that’s Foster who will be suspended the first 2 games. Smith is slow and injury prone. Coyle is a joke and can’t do anything right. Mark Nzeocha who is that, Korey Toomer is slow, Elijah Lee might be the best out the bunch but that’s stretching it. Warner is probably the only other one who can play but he’s a rookie

              1. Risk this season? They don’t expect to be a contender this year. They are shooting for 2019 at the earliest. They are making moves predicated on next season and building a long term contending and sustainable roster. Vets who they feel will not be here in 2019 are expendable.

  14. Those of you attacking Grant Cohn, he is just doing his job and providing his opinion. I don’t see any ulterior motives there. I often don’t agree with Grant’s opinions but don’t see anything nefarious going on

  15. Grant even you said earlier this preseason that Harold was a terrible pass rusher, the numbers back that up.

    “No 4-3 OLB in the NFL rushed on a greater % of snaps than Harold last year, yet he only managed 6 QB pressures (PFF). Harold wasn’t productive enough in the 49ers’ scheme.” ~ David Lombardi

    There was also a quote earlier this week about how Nickel/Dime has become the more often used defense.

    You want to twist this to be about kneeling, meh ok.

    1. The 49ers weakened their base run D for no apparent reason. I offered a possible explanation.

      1. The better explanation is that edge setters are a dime a dozen and he wouldn’t be back in 2019 anyway.

          1. On almost any team they are, especially since the base defense is on the field so much less than Nickel/Dime.

    2. I understand coming up with multiple reasons for a players release, but in this case I think they just wanted to see if they could get something for a player they were going to cut anyway. Harold is a borderline NFL player at this point and it wouldn’t surprise me if he gets cut by the Lions in a couple of weeks as well.

      1. They will bundle that pick with a couple of others for draft picks. It is better than nothing as you said.

  16. You hit the jackpot today, a story involving our pass rush along with a conspiracy theory. Have at it Grant, this article might be the easiest one you write all year.

  17. Harold was the master of disappearing on the playing field.
    He was the starter by default because our talent pantry was empty. As someone mentioned earlier, at least we got something for him.

    I really haven’t seen anything special from Pita except for a flash or two. I don’t believe Harold is being moved because of him.
    Just an opinion, but the team might be working on signing another player.

    Another positive (besides ridding themselves of Eli) is that players picked in the 7th rd have worked out for the team.
    Good move by the team.

  18. And yet our head coach just said the other day that he would welcome Reid back with open arms! Guess you must have heard him mumble “yeah, as long as he doesn’t kneel” ! Lol

      1. Did Lynch actually specify minimum contract? I know he said that Reid would be a backup. Based on need (e.g., injury), I can the Niners sheliing out reasonable money for Reid.

      2. But if it was all about the anthem like you say, he wouldn’t welcome him back at all. Right? Tartt is not the most durable either so more than likely Reid would start at some point too. Kyle is willing to offer him to be in that position to begin with.

        Reid not taking a league minimum is on Reid. Alfred Morris is here on a league minimum or super low, and Morris had a more accomplished careerthan Reid. Some guys wanna chance others want on their terms. See Dez Bryant.

  19. Harold was the “best” we had by default! Just like CJ Beathard was the best QB before Jimmy G.

  20. Grant…. Please give us your take on the quality of our Dline coaching–that would be coaches by name. Are coaches X or Y any good? If so, how? If not, why?

      1. Grant no need for the conspiracy theories, they got rid of him because he’s not any good. You’ve been bagging on him for years about how he’s no good and now you wonder why they got rid of him? That great run defender put their rushing defense where last season? 22nd or so?

    2. They have to bring back Dumervil. They have nobody on the roster who can consistently pressure off the edge right now.

      1. Rocket

        I have to disagree that there aren’t ‘better’ edge rushers still on the team…I think that Marsh is better than Eli…also Ronnie Blair and Pitta and even Solomon…that’s why we have TC and pre-season… How many years did it take to figure out that Eli Harold wasn’t that great ? Get some of these guys some reps and let’s see…

        2. I’m not talking about guys who are better edge rushers than Harold, I’m talking about having a consistent pass rush off the edge and right now we have no one who fits that description. Marsh has been in the league for a number of years now, we know what he is. Pita is still a question mark. Thomas isn’t an edge rusher. Blair has some potential but not enough to stop them from going out and getting Dumervil imo.

  22. Colbert and Julian Taylor are 7th round picks so in regards to the trade, that’s great news for us! Go Niners!!

  23. Get rid of Beathard. He can’t score. He hangs on to the ball too long. He is not going to get any better. It is very obvious to any objective person watching last season and the first two practice games of this year. Mullens should be the back up to Jimmy G. Mullens gets the ball off fast, can see the entire field and scores points. The 49ers screwed up by drafting Beathard; admit it and move on. Stop compounding this mistake. Make Mullens the back up now. You keep saying that there is competition for every spot; keeping Beathard makes a joke of this idea and will demoralize the team.

    1. that’s a great point. Just say Beathard is not that good, put him thru waivers, he will clear it and place him on the PS. Give the job to the best player and that’s Mullens. they should of never drafted him in the 3 round and that was a waste of pick.

    2. Get rid of Beathard. He can’t score. He hangs on to the ball too long. He is not going to get any better. It is very obvious to any objective person watching last season and the first two practice games of this year.

      One could have said this about 3 or 4 years ago:

      Get rid of Ryan. He can’t score. He hangs on to the ball too long. He is not going to get any better. It is very obvious to any objective person watching last season and the first two practice games of this year.

      It took Matt Ryan quite a long time to become halfway decent as he went through learning Shanahan’s complex offense, even though he was a veteran. At some point, the light came on, and afterwards he was brilliant. Beathard was a rookie last year on an offense that not only had no idea what it was doing, but had mostly execrable talent to boot. It’s obvious the light hasn’t come on yet for C.J., and reasonable people can surmise and argue about what will happen after it does. Does he morph into Kirk Cousins — a player he’s often been compared to — or is he revealed as the second coming of Kyle Orton? Only time will tell, but it’s WAY too early for anyone to know how he’s going to turn out.

  24. The notion that SF got rid of Eli due to the kneeling is incorrect in my view. SF was the team with restraint and respect for self expression from day#1 with CK and later Eli, so now they change their minds? Personally, I’m not buying any part of that.
    Lynch and Shanny are counting numbers. They signed JA, and perhaps they like PT’s development as well. Too crowded at Sam, making some space.
    The other great leap here is that SF has downgraded its run defense, an idle speculation based on roster-on-paper guess, and seemingly not based on league-wide view of EH’s talent/value as an individual. The faulty assumption is that Eli could set the edge and nobody else can. How and when and where coaches utilize players in T C often has more to do with trying guys out in positions and getting a close look at bubble vets; it’s not always meritorious rankings.
    Conspiracy Goggles are like blinders on a horse. Life is simpler than that. Eli wasn’t going to make the roster. I guess Lynch and Shanahan colluded and conspired to deliberately weaken the run defense. If they really wanted to win they’d……………

    1. Grant may have overlooked that Goodwin raised his fist during the anthem. Pesky protestors persist…

      1. Correction on me, Goodwin also kneeled in the past. I just saw a photo. Oh well, it was great having #10 throw to #11 so far. Hope we get at least a 3rd round pick for Goodwin. ;)

    1. the Detroit Lions made a move Thursday to bolster their pass rush.

      Those freeper writers better check in with Grant’s column here to learn exactly what they are getting.

  26. Zane Beadles must have knelt too along with Kilgore, Kerley, Bowman, Armstrong Rashard Robinson, Carlos Hyde, Trent Brown, Fusco, Elvis Dumervil, Paulsen and the most socially active Brian Hoyer! Lol

    Come on man! Lmao

  27. Grant, you say the 49ers made their base defence weaker but you can’t say that because you don’t know who is going to play SAM in his stead.

    Harold was only going to play SAM in base and not in nickel so if the move was made so that Foster, Warner and Smith man the three LB spots at the same time – with Foster SAM, Smith Will and Warner Mike then is the base defence really weaker?!?

    or have you gone Chicken Little on us again because the Niners traded Eli Harold who has serviceable but unspectacular and in his last year of his rookie contract anyway. Oh my!! Its Eli Harold remember, not Eli Manning!

    I’d argue that the base is enhanced by putting your best three LBs on the field together and letting Foster blitz might be the added dimension missing in providing some pass rush. Those shouting for Mack seem to overlook that Foster is a human missile too.

    Why not calm down Grant and let Foster, Warner and Smith all play in base and let Foster play “all gas and no brake” on all three downs and go after the QB when the opportunity presents itself.

  28. Both Matts have floated the idea that Fred Warner could be tried at SAM. Warner seems big and strong enough. Will see if that’s true on Saturday.

    3. Yep. If you are wondering who on the roster is a better edge setter than Harold, need to include consideration of the depth they now have at ILB and whether a guy like Warner can play some SAM.

  30. While I am puzzled about the trade happening now, I can see the logic behind it because the team is wanting to get their best three LBs on the field, and those three are Foster, Smith, and (most likely) Warner. It is also possible that this move was made in order inject some life into the pass rush.
    What this move is not about is trading a player who kneeled. Trying to go this route is like punching yourself several times in the face because it feels good. It is illogical and makes you look foolish. If the protesting was the actual reason, then the ascending Goodwin would not have been extended this off season. Instead, the reality is Harold is just a run defender, which means he is limited.

      1. Shanny explained in detail why he didn’t want Kap. Big Shanny wanted to move on from Kap when he wanted the Niner job, this was before the kneeling.

        Reid got hurt, Tartt came in and played well. KS said he would like to have Reid back, but as a backup.

        York and KS have always supported the protesters. Read Brodie’s post if you want to see why this move may have been made.

        Don’t try to insinuate that this was move was about kneeling.

      2. And if that was a factor, none of them were good enough to overcome that stigma. If they were good enough, they would still be on the team. Just because a veteran is marginally better than a younger player does not automatically get him the job. He cannot be an obstruction to allowing young talent to rise.
        Yea Saleh did say that he was an incredible edge setter. But Harold being the Niner’s best edge setter (if indeed he is; and your saying so does not make it so) is not a high standard to meet. Give a younger guy a chance to do better. Maybe the Niners finally had to face up to this reality.
        One thing all this nonsense does help reinforce is the notion that the front office is not very good. Either in valuing and evaluating talent or acquiring it. In the two years that they’ve been on the job, they’ve been piss poor, in fact

        1. Yeah, I agree. Look how the 9ers got suckered into that crappy Garoppolo acquisition. Bummer. And don’t get me started on the failed Goodwin deal.

      3. Kaepernick, Reid and Harold were the three main kneelers.

        Goodwin also protested, yet he was extended. This fact alone obliterates the kneeling angle from you and others.

          1. Goodwin played for an organization that was against the players kneeling or raising their fist in 2016, so bang goes that rebuttal.

          2. Grant are you a closet kneeler? You keep wanting to keep the issue alive long after it has been buried, at least in respect with the Niners.

  32. Speculation city…

    A) Making room for another edge they are trading for?
    B) Making room for a free agent edge?
    C) Making room for a free agent at another position?
    D) Making room for a bubble player?
    E) The Lions called first. Niners jumped at a freebie 7th because they planned to cut Harold?
    F) Niners experimenting with off ball SAM trying to get Foster, Smith, Warner on the field at the same time?
    G) Other

  33. I think a 7th round pick in return is a steal for a guy who hasn’t had too many sacks since he’s been here. Good deal.

  34. This is a win, win move for the 49ers. In two years Harold may be out of the league while we’re getting a 7rd pick.

    Also, the 49ers may have picked up some leverage with this move because it gives them an extra 7rd pick to package if so needed.

    By 2020, I expect the team to be a viable playoff and possibly SB contender thereby allowing an extra 7rd pick to be redundant.

    2. Jonathan Martin may have a case against Miami when the Org dismissed the Incognito / Martin situation as over-hyped news reporting.

  36. Adam Schefter
    ‏
    Verified account

    @AdamSchefter
    1h1 hour ago
    More
    Comp update: Lions traded a conditional 7th-round pick in 2020 to the 49ers for LB Eli Harold, per source. The condition is that Harold has to be on Lions’ roster for four weeks.

    1. In other words make the 53 man roster cuts by Sept 1st.

      I think he will make it and we get a 7th round pick for 2020.

    2. A conditional 7th two years from now. Lion’s GM really stuck his neck out on this one. They must be dying to get him to set the edge for them…

  37. if they can get a 7 round pick for Eli supposedly if he’s on the Lions roster for four weeks, then why can’t they trade Arik or Ward? Than use that money to bring in better talented players. They should be trying to trade for Mack or long shot Aaron from the Rams. I just don’t see this defense being any good. Who’s going to bring the pass rush? who’s going to stop the run. Who’s going to intercept the ball. All we have is Foster who will suspend 2 games, has dealt with small injuries and has of the field issues (hopefully no more going forward). Buckner is great but who else we got. Witherspoon I don’t think so. Hopefully Sherman then that will be 3 players. Tartt but he can’t really cover deep. Malcolm will get injured. Adrian hes a second year low draft pick and you can’t really put all the pressure on him and so far he has not been that great. Marsh no, Arik always injured. Thomas he will be a decent run blocker but that’s all for now. Williams is a good nickel CB but he’s inquired right now. They better hope they score lots and lots of points.

  38. A lot of hysteria here but the only logical reason to pull the trigger on the Harold trade is that the coaches have a plan to replace him with somebody better; identity unknown. Harold had his limitations but last season the coaches obviously felt he was the best they had. I don’t see where anyone else has stepped up but we’ll see who plays the position from here on out. Hopefully there’s a plan. Lastly, Salah cannot be trusted to tell the truth and writers should take him to task for it. His specialty is BS. Remember his high praise for both Tank and Eli? Anything he says needs to be taken with a grain of salt and he should be reminded that in the Bay Area we prize intelligence and candor from our coaches; can anyone imagine Bill Walsh praising someone and then cutting him in the next breath?

    1. uc, I like the way you put it. In a nutshell that’s what this means. And it’s nice they got something for him, especially because they’re good at finding NFL talent in the late rounds. For anyone to infer it has something to do with kneeling is just silly. No one’s going to avoid going to games or avoid watching them because of Harold.

    3. If they could get some value for Ward or Armstead they might trade them as well . The thing is that Wards contract negates any value he has as a player. The only way they could get something for him is if the picked a lot of his salary and that might even be worth doing. Armstead’s salary, while not in Wards category still cuts into his talent vis cost trade off value.

  40. I don’t get how you came up with they got rid of Eli due to the kneeling……. sounds like uninformed B.S to me…..York has been vocal in support of the protest….

    How you came up with this baffles me…..

  42. I am waiting for the announcement that ELVIS is back in the house, and I don’t mean Presley!!!!

  43. I wouldn’t be surprised if the kneeling was the straw that broke the camel’s back in the case of Eli Harold, but not the main reason for it. I don’t know the last time that I have seen Grant so involved in the comment section, he must feel strongly about this one. On this topic, I really feel the kneeling was why Reid wasn’t brought back, even though he said he was down for a one year deal. I like Eric Reid, he is a tough team player, who plays best as SS, but can play FS and LB in a pinch. It doesn’t make sense not to bring him back other than his kneeling and support of CK. He did have a history of concussions, but he is better than the other Safeties on the roster, and I like Tartt.

    1. He might have been better last season, but not the previous years (except for his rookie season). He had been playing soft but ramped it up last season because it was his contract year. You have to consider his previous season in gaging his actual value.

  44. http://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/richard-sherman-49ers-jimmy-garoppolo-jalen-ramsey-nfl-helmet-rule-fantasy-football/lcvtk6drzzwb18p0quvmu9mex
    Sherman: “Jimmy has gotten more comfortable in (coach Kyle Shanahan’s) system and understanding what’s been asked of him, the spots on the field he needs to get the ball to. With Marquise’s speed and how quickly he gets down the field, Jimmy’s had to brush up his mechanics more so that he can hit him in stride. Because if he takes a normal drop and reads it like he normally does, then by the time he lets the ball go, there are not many quarterbacks who can hit a guy who’s already 50 yards down the field on the rush, so Jimmy has had to figure that out.”

  45. Can’t say I am particularly sad to see Harold go. He’s really never done much. Even against the run he wasn’t that good, despite the praise from Saleh. As a pass defender he was rubbish, whether it was rushing the passer (read: giving the passer all the time he needed) or in coverage.

    1. Agreed. I never bought into that, “We think Harold has some untapped pass rushing prowess and are gonna give him a shot at it” line. There was a reason he was still on the board in the 3rd round, and now we know why….

      1. From Football Outsider’s SackSEER, 2015

        Eli Harold, Virginia

        … The talent available at the edge rusher position begins to fall off sharply after Dupree. The next prospect up is Eli Harold, who had a good combine workout that you might have overlooked given the eye-popping performances put up by some of his peers. Harold’s production in college was a little below average, which adds up to Harold being a thoroughly average prospect.

        https://www.footballoutsiders.com/stat-analysis/2015/sackseer-2015

        Their prospects ahead of Harold: Vic Beasley, Randy Gregory, and Bud Dupree

    2. The thing about this trade is that it highlights the lie about someone being pretty good to beat Harold or Marsh. They should have picked up an edge player in the draft and everyone knows that! The pass rush is a huge liability.

      1. What the coach said was that none of the players available in the draft were any better than the ones they already had on the roster. It was a very weak draft for pass rushers. The coming draft has both quality and quantity at that position so they just deferred for that need until the next season. Why add more mediocre pass rushers to a roster already filled with them.

        Pretty good is just a general statement meaning better than average. It was said to not slam players they knew they were going to be stuck with for this season.

        1. Harold Landry is already better than Harold and Marsh. That argument was and continues to be specious. There were plenty of players they could have picked that were better than the current crew. They just chose to go OL.

          The idea that you overlook an obvious weakness on your team without addressing it is not a strong argument. At the very least they could have kept Dumervil (and may have to bring him back).

          This whole line of reasoning, to me, is off base.

          Those guys are difficult to find, first and foremost,” Lynch said. “We felt like there were a couple guys who had an opportunity to be special there. You know, just where we were, we didn’t have an opportunity or chose not to take them.”Those guys are difficult to find, first and foremost,” Lynch said. “We felt like there were a couple guys who had an opportunity to be special there. You know, just where we were, we didn’t have an opportunity or chose not to take them.”

          http://tv5.espn.com/blog/san-francisco-49ers/post/_/id/31596/why-49ers-passed-on-edge-rushers-in-the-draft4

          “One thing people don’t take into account, we talk about pass rush and there’s nine D-Linemen allowed on our roster and there’s eight D-Linemen up on game day, and look at all our D-Linemen,” Shanahan said after the draft.

          “You’ve got to be pretty good to beat out Marsh. You’ve got to be pretty good to beat out Armstead. You don’t just get guys. If you get them, someone else has got to get cut and we’ve got a pretty good group.”

          https://www.google.com/amp/s/ninerswire.usatoday.com/2018/05/14/did-the-49ers-improve-3-prominent-weaknesses-this-offseason/amp/

          2. yes, OL was considered a bigger priority than pass rush in this draft by the Niners. When they say that none of the pass rushers were better than Niners now have, they meant second round onward.

            1. Right! I’m sure that ignoring the pass rushing needs (because next year is a “gold mine”) will turn out to be an excellent strategic move. Given that quite possibly the OL hasn’t substantially improved from last year, it is a major hole and may haunt the team this year and hamper progress.

              Many here have wanted the team to go after Mack and are willing to pay a pretty steep price for him. This also underscores what I have been saying for some time.

          3. EC9,
            No argument here. Landry, Davenport, Roquan or Edmund’ would have been an upgrade over Harold.

            But neither of these players would minimize the loss of Garoppolo if he gets injured this season.

            At the moment, Jimmy G is our sacred cow and protecting him is of
            the utmost importance.

            We are still a couple of years away from being a bona-fide contender.
            Our Edge Rusher will come in 2019 and will be harassing QB’s for years.
            I’m excited about this season to see the growth of our young players, but the real excitement comes after our next draft class.

  47. Grant,

    You have many times said that Eli was not good a second or even 3rd stringer. But our d is weak and this did weaken the position.

    But he was not that good. Kinda like CK.

    Reid was better than Tart. But who knows the truth. Perhaps they are about to grab someone else.

    1. Staying on the lookout for trade opportunities, and also for end of preseason roster cut downs set for the first day or two of September.

      1. Shane Ray is a possibility in sub packages. Broncos drafted Chubb. Peters has the Denver connection.

  51. A 1 May 2015 comment from Grant…

    “After the Niners picked Tartt, they drafted someone else to help them match up with the Seahawks — former Virginia outside linebacker Eli Harold. Harold is one of the most explosive edge-rushers in the draft. He recorded 17.5 sacks and 36.5 tackles for loss in three collegiate seasons.”

    1. I was really high on Harold too coming out of the draft. As a prospect he had a lot going for him. Just never developed at the next level.

  52. Did Seb lower his head too often during intramural flag football?…It could account for his cackling, cacophony of continuous Kaep threads.

  53. Somebody explain to me how trading a guy who had 5 sacks in 3 years, after starting most of those years, makes this defense worse!! I’ll wait. And please don’t use the term, sets the edge. I don’t care how much edge setting you do, if your an outside backer and can’t get to the QB, especially when at least 70 percent of the time, the opposing offense is in 3 wide sets, your no good. Period. If the minds that run the team, thought like half of you, then wow, dumpster fire would be a good term. Dude is a special teamer starting for a team who believes it’s better than what alot of you believe. But hey, according to grant this team got worse. Oh well to each his own

      1. And what is your point? It’s not like he was racking up interceptions… Eli Harold was just another player. This team did not get worse Because he left. What they did was get better because even though we don’t need it, the team just got more salary cap space.

    2. Exactly Steel. Was Harold the edge setting specialist for that 2016 rush defense? Remember, the one that was 3rd worst in the history of the entire fricking league? Yeah, what a loss.

  54. We all know that the pass rush needs to improved. so what do you guys think about trading J.Ward, S.Thomas and a second round for Khalil Mack? really what do you guys think?…

    1. A first- and a third-round pick this year, and a first and fourth next year.

      The 49ers shouldn’t give up those assets. Khalil Mack won’t make them a Super Bowl contender.

      1. No way they should give up that draft capital when they can just draft Austin Bryant in the 15 to 22 range next year….

        1. Grant and Razor +1

          The best I would give is a second round pick (same as JG) and that’s not going to happen.

      2. Exactly. Its a pipe dream. It would cost too much to get him. It would be fine if they were one player away, but they aren’t.

        And seeing hypothetical trade scenarios of the 49ers giving up players that fans don’t like to “sweeten” the deal is ridiculous fan fiction.

        1. The amount of the contract it will take to sign him will put the Niners in a salary cap position they want to avoid. They are not going to sign a DL at a QB salary. They would lose too many of their young developing players when their contracts expire.

          1. Tbh, that is untrue. The 49ers are in a position where they can front load a lot of the salary cap impact, like what they have done with JG. It should have little to no impact on their ability to re-sign players they want to keep the next couple of years.

      3. Mack wouldn’t make the Niners SB contenders? Your crazy. He absolutely would. Buckner, Mack, Foster would be one of the better Defenses in football. It’s a lot to give up but he is a generstional talent. I would trade 2 firsts in a second. So would the Niners.

  56. I’m thinking Foster is gonna get moved around a lot in this defense to get Warner on the field as well.
    We might see either guy play on the outside and rush from there as well.
    This might be the reason Eli was traded.

    I’m looking to see what Robert Saleh can do to make this defense better.
    He had excuses last year but this year, he doesn’t.

  57. Maybe not but, the niners would have a proven pass rusher that can disturb the opposing QB’s.

  58. Saleh’s defense….

    Would like to hear–from Grant–a breakdown on all position coaches on the defensive side of ball. Who’s a good coach, who’s suspect, etc.

    C’mon Grant, go there…

      1. Gee Sebbie…. Wouldn’t you like to have insight on the 9er position coaches? They may be larger factors than some might believe in the way our players perform.

        As Grant’s self appointed poodle, I expect nothing less of you.

        1. Cassie, you are barking up the wrong tree. Since you are so fixated on the defensive coaches, you should spew your own drivel to entertain us.

    1. Grant …

      Harold was traded because … he wasn’t penciled in
      to make the final 53 …. and your proof ..
      can be found … RIGHT HERE..
      Straight from the horses’s mouth .. too …

      (maybe you didn’t get the memo .. u-hh ..
      transcript .. perhaps .. ? )

      1. You mean….Grant….what? But Grant was/is so sure….

        So much for hot takes. Maybe it was an issue with Eli’s weight…what did the 9ers list him at? Alarming.

        1. Cassie ….

          his weight .. ?
          h-mmm … interesting …
          (I didn’t think of ..that ..one ) … ;-}

  62. Grant, I agree that kneeling may have been a factor, but the main reason for the EH trade, was because he was supplanted by a better player. The Niners would not have traded away a starter without a better replacement.
    .
    Guess the football maturity of Pita Tamoepenu made Harold expendable, or maybe Mark Nzeocha has shined in the practices.
    .
    Another factor may be that the Niners are still trying to remove the stench of Baalke. Harold was another injured draft bargain player Baalke chose, that rarely worked out.
    .
    I am encouraged. At least they talked to Eric Reid, and made a luke warm offer that lowballed him. Reid might finally become desperate enough to sign, but other teams will find a need through attrition.
    .
    I think Reid is superior to Tartt, because Tartt tends to take bad angles, and Reid is better against the run. However, Tartt is cheaper, and an adequate replacement. Remember, this team thought Hoyer was better than Kaep, and we all saw how that unfolded. It is an amazing coincidence that 3 kneelers are gone, but that does not prove collusion.
    .
    I am glad that the Niners traded away a player, and got something for him, instead of cutting him, and letting him go for free.
    .
    However, Harold should give the Lions good intel on the Niners, since they play each other week 2. Guess Patricia is desperate enough to do that, since these last 2 preseason games for the Lions, have exposed large weaknesses.

    2. “However, Harold should give the Lions good intel on the Niners, since they play each other week 2.”

      After the game Patricia cuts Harold thereby voiding the deal with the 49ers for a 7rd pick in 2020.
      I know it sounds cynical, but nothing surprises me these days.

      1. Sure, you have good reason to be cynical.
        ..
        However, if Harold gets a sack, I bet they keep him.

      2. I think the Niners would be OK with that. The trade gave a head start for Harold to start looking for other teams beyond the Lions.

  63. I’m pretty surprised by Obi not panning out in Oakland. Adams was my top safety but I was pretty high on Obi as well. Hope he finds a way to turn it around at his next stop. Would love to see us give him a shot.

    1. “It’s a tough one because Eli’s been everything that we could ask for in terms of the way he comes to work each and every day,” Lynch said during the Tolbert & Lund show. “It’s just our SAM linebacker position is one that, frankly, less and less is on the field because of the way people are playing this game — that is with three wide receivers. So really, your base set is your nickel. So our SAM has to be able to do other things.

      Maybe it is about the numbers and scheme

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