INDIANAPOLIS -- The 49ers have moved on from veteran wide receiver Pierre Garçon, but they have yet to make a decision on linebacker Malcolm Smith.
“He’s still not fully healthy yet, so we are waiting to figure that out,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday at the NFL Scouting Combine. “We need to get him in to find that out. Yeah, we do have a decision to make with Malcolm. He battled a lot of stuff last year, came into camp hurt and never healed.
“Really hoping that we can get some answers on that over the next month or so, which can help us make a better decision.”
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SIGN UP HERE The two veterans were the biggest signings of the 49ers' first free agency under Shanahan and general manager John Lynch. They haven’t been the most successful.
San Francisco did not pick up Garçon’s third-year option after he played in just 16 games in two seasons with the 49ers. He recorded 64 receptions for 786 yards and one touchdown.
Despite Garçon's injuries and unremarkable production, Shanahan said the receiver still was an important signing for him and Lynch.
“We didn’t have one receiver on our roster [from when] we got here to what we took into the season,” Shanahan said. “We knew we had to go get a veteran out there. P came in and did a great job for us for about the first six games or seven or whatever it was.
“Then he hurt his neck the first year end, then had knee complications all last year. It was unfortunate for him and us how it worked out. Love the guy, respect him as much as any player I’ve ever coached. Hopefully he will be healthier this year for somewhere else, or if it didn’t work out, to possibly come back to us.”
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Smith’s contract, on the other hand, does not have a team option until 2020, so the team will have to decide whether to cut him or not.
Smith spent all of 2017 on injured reserve after he tore his pectoral muscle during the offseason. Last year, he dealt with a nagging Achilles injury that limited him to sporadic playing time in 12 games this season.
The team will be evaluating most positions in the draft, and an inside linebacker to play alongside Fred Warner likely will end up being a need.