Every NFL team’s most surprising cut candidate

San Francisco 49ers — Javon Kinlaw

The San Francisco 49ers front seven is always one of the best in the NFL. They constantly add to this strength, as they did when they drafted Javon Kinlaw in 2020. The 49ers traded back and still got what they thought was the best defensive tackle in the draft. This was a player the 49ers envisioned would be a staple in their defense for a decade.

This offseason, the 49ers signed Javon Hargrave to a three-year, $39 million deal because Kinlaw did not live up to the hype. Now, Kinlaw has been considered a pretty clear trade candidate. Trades with high-upside players don’t usually pan out because teams know they can just wait until the other team is forced to cut them.

The 49ers already declined Kinlaw’s fifth-year option. It’s not that hard to see why. He hasn’t done much of anything lately. He only played six regular season games last season, recording four tackles. He couldn’t even average one tackle per game? That’s very bad, especially with the great defensive ends and outside linebackers on this team.

The issue here is the 49ers don’t save any money by cutting Kinlaw. That makes this a lot more complicated. Would the 49ers allow this to simmer all season just to avoid eating the contract? It doesn’t seem like something they’d do.