The 49ers can add punter to their list of offseason needs. Bradley Pinion, the team’s punter and kickoff specialist for the past four years is expected to sign a four-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers according to ESPN’s Dan Graziano.
Pinion was a fifth-round selection of the 49ers in 2015. He averaged 43.7 yards-per-punt across four seasons – the worst mark in the league during that time frame.
Where Pinion thrived was on kickoffs. He handled kickoff duties while San Francisco cycled through veteran kickers. Now he’ll join the Buccaneers, who let go of punter Bryan Anger on Tuesday.
This was the second special-teams related news for the 49ers on the second day of the legal tampering period. They also agreed to a four-year extension with long snapper Kyle Nelson.
San Francisco has just six picks in this year’s draft with a slew of needs to fill. It’s conceivable they use one of those picks on a punter, but it can’t be ruled out as a free-agent option.
