Niners hope to sign Troy Vincent
The 49ers are hotly pursuing five-time Pro Bowl defensive back Troy Vincent, two league sources told The Press Democrat today.
"It's safe to say the 49ers are interested, certainly interested," a source said. "But I think there will be other teams involved in it."
Vincent, a highly respected 15-year NFL veteran whom the Bills released earlier today, is free to sign with any team. The 49ers believe there will be competition for his services. They are prepared to offer Vincent a two-year contract to secure his services, one source said.
The 49ers are $7.523 million under the salary cap, giving the organization plenty of room to work out a deal for Vincent.
Vincent, 35, who was placed on injured reserve-minor on Sept. 13, is recovering from a left hamstring strain. After the Bills placed him on IR, he could not return to play for them this season. Buffalo had hoped Vincent would retire, but he requested his release because he had become healthy enough to play.
"I'm ready to go," Vincent told the Associated Press. "To be fair, it was the right time for me. ... Now's the time for me to look at where I'm at. And I still want to play some football."
The 49ers are believed to view Vincent as a free safety who can help the team's nickel defense. The 49ers' pass defense is ranked 25th in the league, yielding an average of 224.0 yards a game. Last week, the Raiders, who entered the game averaging just 70.3 yards passing a game, rolled up 216 passing yards on the 49ers.
Vincent would be an acquisition along the lines of guard Larry Allen and cornerback Walt Harris. The 49ers pounced on those veteran players in March after they were released by the Cowboys and Redskins, respectively.
