49ers Could Turn to Bucs Free Agent Linebacker Mason Foster By Jenna Laine Bucs Insider March 18, 2015 
Mason Foster With major holes to fill after the stunning announcements of, not one, but two starting linebackers, the San Francisco 49ers have major holes to fill in their front seven. And they could turn to former Tampa Bay Buccaneers starting middle linebacker Mason Foster for help.John Devine @JohnJDevine While the Bears continue to be the frontrunner for Seaside grad Mason Foster, the 49ers have expressed interest after losing two linebackers9:04 AM - 17 Mar 2015 Foster is not expected to return to the Bucs in 2015, and sources close to Foster say he’s interested in lining up in a 3-4 defense.For a while now, the Chicago Bears have appeared to be the front-runner to land Foster’s services. The Atlanta Falcons could be in play too, which would reunite Foster with former Bucs head coach Raheem Morris, now the Falcons’ assistant head coach.Right now, the 49ers have NaVorro Bowman and Michael Wilhoite penciled in to start on the inside but they could be looking for more to help fill the void left by Patrick Willis and Chris Borland’s departures.In four seasons with the Bucs, Foster started all but three of the 57 games he played in, including 15 starts his rookie year. He registered 343 combined tackles during that time span, with six sacks, 12 pass breakups, five interceptions and three forced fumbles. In 2013, he had two interceptions returned for touchdowns.Under Lovie Smith though, Foster’s role changed. He was asked to play more of the traditional Tampa-2 linebacker, covering more of the field and asked to play more in coverage.Under Greg Schiano, he played much closer to the line of scrimmage and was asked to be more physical upfront, which appeared more conducive to Foster’s natural playing style.While Foster embraced the change under Smith, it was certainly an adjustment and injuries didn’t help. He suffered a separated shoulder and a strained Achilles, forcing him to miss six games.A move to the 49ers would bring him very close to his hometown of Seaside, a little over an hour from where the Niners play in Santa Clara.link
