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Rethinking 49ers linebackers after Malcolm Smith’s release

When the San Francisco 49ers made former Seattle Seahawks and Oakland Raiders linebacker Malcolm Smith the first free-agent signing of the tenure for general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan back in 2017, it garnered many an unimpressed response from fans.

Sure, Smith was once a Super Bowl MVP, but by and large was considered an unimpressive player who looked better because of the other players around him in Seattle.

He was quickly exposed as being a pretty mediocre starting piece during his two years in Oakland, even if the 226 total tackles and four sacks seem to tell a different story.