teams. I originally was going to base this on special teams in general George Kittle Jersey , however many special teams aces play a position as well. Raheem Mostert is one of the better special teams gunners you can find, but he’s a running back first and foremost. Trying to pick out who could be brought in strictly as a special teams player is an exercise in frustration as an NFL team would want to balance their depth first and foremost. So today, we’re looking at the stars of special teams: the punters and the kickers. And wouldn’t you know it, the 49ers are going to have a couple of openings. Punter Bradley Pinion’s deal is up as is kicker Robbie Gould. The 49ers have expressed interest in keeping Gould around, who may be the best kicker available in the market. Gould’s family is in Chicago and has been his entire time with the 49ers. He may want to return to the city, but Chicago also just signed a new kicker in Redford Jones. Was the signing because they felt they couldn’t get Gould? Or just to get someone in there because of the competition for Gould? On the 49ers’ end, it seems like they are trying, but not getting much success in negotiations.As for Pinion? There hasn’t been much of anything on what the 49ers plan to do with him. His deal’s up, but the rumors of negotiations have been quiet on that front. So let’s start with kickers. There are some selections. Earlier this week, Atlanta Falcons kicker Matt Bryant was released. The release came as a surprise, but Bryant isn’t done.He’s been very reliable as a kicker, but there’s one problem: he kicked in a dome for a decade. So if he can do it in the windy weather of Levi’s Stadium K'Waun Williams Color Rush Jersey , it’s a good replacement for Gould, but there’d have to be some workouts in the meantime. Stephen Gostkowski is also available from the New England Patriots. He may be worth a look if New England doesn’t snatch him up before free agency begins. He’s been able to kick anywhere. And finally, Phil Dawson is available. You remember him as the kicking ace during Jim Harbaugh’s final two years in San Francisco. Dawson went on to be one of the few reliable players on the team during the Jim Tomsula and Chip Kelly eras. His departure hurt, but was quickly forgotten when Robbie Gould showed his amazing leg. Dawson’s numbers have taken a slight hit with his current team, the Arizona Cardinals. That said, he could be a good candidate to return. On the punter side of things, there’s not many free agent punters hitting the market.Another Patriot foot is available and that’s Ryan Allen. Allen’s punting numbers surpass Pinion’s in every way and he’d be worth a look, again, if New England doesn’t snatch him before free agency. Jordan Berry from the Pittsburgh Steelers may also be a decent alternative. Either way, the 49ers will have some decisions to make on special teams whether it’s to keep who they have or to tap into the market. Here’s the list of the free agent kickers/punters per Over the Cap. Things could change with franchise tags and deals, but all of the below have contracts expiring. Would you be interested in any of these guys coming to Santa Clara? Kickers and Punters PlayerPositionTeamAgeRestricted/Exclusive Rights/Unrestricted Free AgentPlayerPositionTeamAgeRestricted/Exclusive Rights/Unrestricted Free Agent The San Francisco 49ers continued rolling on Sunday by upsetting their division rival, the Seattle Seahawks. There’s already tons of media on us breaking the losing streak and how well Deforest Buckner and Nick Mullens played https://www.49ersfanshop.com/Marquise-Goodwin-Jersey , but the unsung hero is this contest was Solomon Thomas. Checking the box score, you’ll see 2 tackles, but so much of what Thomas accomplished on Sunday won’t show up on any stat sheet.Playing at both inside and outside positions on the defensive line, he was able to consistently cause havoc and control blockers. This allowed for other players to make plays. Today we take a look at some of the film and how Thomas helped San Francisco win the game.First thing I noticed from Thomas was his ability to control the line of scrimmage. He was able to get under his blockers and discard them easily to make the tackle. He also did a great job in the outside of setting the edge and funneling the Seattle run game back into the teeth of the San Francisco defense. Here we have two great examples of Thomas standing up Pro Bowl left tackle Duane Brown. Thomas shows solid technique by jumping outside as to not get hooked, then using his inside arm, he extends and leans in to prevent Brown from getting into his chest. Then as the ball carrier approaches, he tosses him aside and gets in on the action.When the play wasn’t coming Thomas’ way, he showed great quickness down the line to crash down the runner before they could gain any yards. More solid technique as he rushes up the field first, checks for any reverses or bootlegs, then makes a beeline towards the running back. Here’s two great examples of him doing just that.Solomon Thomas played his best on the inside. I’m looking forward to seeing him dominate more from his natural position. While his outside game still needs some work, inside he’s able play well because he’s quick off the ball. It also looks like he’s been working with Buckner on his hand technique as he was beating blockers left and right using similar moves. This first clip is pure power, he stands up the guard Joe Staley Jersey , and then tosses him to the side to make the tackle.Thomas also did well for himself in the pass game causing pressure and eating up blockers. This allowed one on ones for other lineman and also kept Fred Warner and Elijah Lee free to roam sideline to sideline.In our first clip, the 49ers use scheme to get Buckner one-on-one in space and it works. Arik Armstead takes a wide rush outside, while Thomas and Ronald Blair run a stunt on the opposite side. Thomas attacks the inside guard so quickly the center is forced to lean over and double him. This leaves Buckner one-on-one with no other lineman close enough to help. Once Buckner beats the guard, he’s untouched toward the QB for the sack.Thomas also caused pressure himself on the quarterback. Here we see some of the hand technique mentioned earlier. He swats the guards hands away and then rips under him to pass by. Wilson is forced to break out of the pocket and is eventually corralled by Buckner.Thomas’ biggest impact on Sunday came late in the game. Did you notice every time there was a big play by Seattle it was called back by a holding call? There were three, two at the end of regulation, and one in overtime. All three were called on the offensive lineman attempting to block Solomon Thomas. I have those clips below. Each time he simply beat the blocker at the point of attack and the lineman was forced to hold him. Each time it was a drive killer and eventually gave San Francisco the ball back to go and win the game.4th quarter, 3rd and 4. Holding. Seahawks forced to punt a few plays later.4th quarter. One Minute left. This would’ve gotten them into field goal range to win but the Seahawks were forced to punt again. Regulation ends in a tie.Overtime. Seahawks driving to win the game, their drive is killed by a third holding call drawn by Thomas.In those three plays alone you can see Thomas has improved. Combine those clips with the rest above and we start to get an idea of his overall growth and ability. There’s a lot of people on this site and in the NFL universe who tagged Thomas a reach, and seem him as a bust. I can admit myself there were game where he was simply invisible. He started the season slow, we often saw him getting beat at the point of attack and pushed around. The last few weeks however he’s been on a tear. He’s also been mentioned on PFF’s “refocused weekly game recap” the last two weeks in a row. While his overall rating isn’t exceptional, his play on the field shows promise of things to come in the upcoming seasons.It’s possible the 49ers will draft an edge rusher with their first round pick in the upcoming draft with hopes of continuing to bolster the pass rush. I do believe in Thomas they have a solid player who has shown some versatility and more important shown he can improve and get better. The sky’s the limit next season. Go Niners!