Niners have a rather big offseason to-do list
Two extra teams made this season’s playoffs, and that still wasn’t enough runway for the defending NFC champion 49ers to land there.
“I hope it grinds guys the wrong way, that we’re not in that position, because it (stinks),” tight end George Kittle said. “You got close last year, and you’re not even close this year. It’s not fun.”
Instead of a Super Bowl return, the 49ers’ 6-10, lastplace record was a byproduct of injuries, turnovers, poor execution and a record number of player transactions, complicated by COVID-19 cases and Santa Clara County’s health orders that induced a monthlong stay in Arizona.
General manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan could face their most radical changes to their staffs since arriving
in 2017. Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh could land a head coaching job, and Lynch could lose righthand men Adam Peters or Martin Mayhew
Quarterback is always a top priority, and even though Jimmy Garoppolo has drawn repeated assurances from team brass that he’s their 2021 quarterback, Shanahan acknowledged he’ll be studying potential newcomers more than ever. That’s true at least because the 49ers may need new backups, as Nick Mullens is recovering from elbow surgery and C. J. Beathard is a free agent.
The quarterback question will linger until the 49ers snap their 26-year Super Bowl drought, so let’s instead examine five other offseason priorities: OFFENSIVE LINE UPGRADES>> The 49ers allowed a NFLhigh 88 hits to their quarterbacks, two of which resulted in seriously damaging injuries to Garoppolo ( Week 2 ankle) and Mullens ( Week 15 elbow). That duo, plus Beathard, endured 39 sacks. Mullens’ was under pressure a Nfl-high 30.8-percent of the time.
Another way to explain why the 49ers need better blocking: their rushing attack went from No. 2 last season to No. 15 this year, finishing just below the NFL average of 118.9 yards per game.
Re- signing left tackle Trent Williams seems like a unanimous move, at what could be a top- shelf price cresting $20 million annually. That is steep for someone who’ll be 33, but he looked fresh after his 2019 hiatus and reclaimed Pro Bowl honors.
Strengthening the rest of the line is a must, and it would help not to again go through six centers like this season. Right tackle Mike Mcglinchey took ownership of his pass-protection woes, though he blamed them more on technique than a need to improve his power.
More must be done to get this offense running smoother, which could translate to play calls and quicker calculations by Ga roppolo, presuming he’s not replaced by a spry, younger option. DEFENSIVE FRONT DEPTH >> It would be predictable and perhaps wise if the 49ers’ brass used their top pick (No. 12 overall) on a defensive lineman for the sixth time in seven drafts.
The best- case scenario is Nick Bosa charges back to full health after his Week 2 ACL tear, coupled with Dee Ford’s unexpected reprise from a back issue. The 49ers were in a lurch once they were lost, along with Solomon Thomas, five quarters into the season.
So what other players can join Arik Armstead and Javon Kinlaw to turn the 49ers back into a frontline force, similar to those in 2012 and ‘18 that fueled Super Bowl runs? Ford’s contract should remind the 49ers of the dangers of hiring an expensive veteran, so extra draft picks this year could be used here. D. J. Jones’ return should take more precedence than those of fellow free agents Dion Jordan, Jordan Willis and Ziggy Ansah. SECONDARY SHAKEUP >> The 49ers’ 2020 strategy didn’t necessarily backfire having all key cornerbacks play out their contract year.
That said, Jason Verrett should make out great for his sensational comeback. But injuries kept K’waun Williams and Richard Sherman from enhancing their already pristine reputations, and that did allow Ahekllo Witherspoon, Emmanuel Moseley and Dontae Johnson more opportunities to state their modest cases.
It’s hard to imagine all of them walking in free agency. For those who think the 49ers can use their top draft pick on a cornerback – seeing how they’ve already invested so much in the defensive front and quarterback spot – just keep in mind that Mike Rumph (2002) was the last pure cornerback taken in franchise history in the first round.
Jimmie Ward, their 2014 top pick, figures to line up next to Tarvarius Moore as the starting safeties if they don’t re-sign Jaquiski Tartt after six seasons.
BETTER OFFENSIVE BACKUPS >> Kittle, Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk are cornerstone targets for years to come. As this season showed, if any of that trio is unavailable, the offense stalls.
Jordan Reed and Ross Dwelley couldn’t come close to filling in for Kittle. Richie James and Kendrick Bourne had their moments, as has been the case throughout their 49ers’ tenures, but nothing too comforting.
Their bench can’t hinge on a Jalen Hurd comeback. Back and knee injuries kept him off the field his first two seasons. Trent Taylor seemingly hasn’t been seen since December 2017.
So the 49ers better be scouting tight ends (“With the No. 12 pick, the 49ers steal Florida’s Kyle Pitts”) and a reliable, shifty slot receiver that position coach Wes Welker can groom. DON’T NEGLECT SPECIAL TEAMS >> Too much went wrong and not nearly enough went great on the 49ers’ special teams. That starts with having a punt blocked in the season opener to spark their loss to Arizona, and that ends with both kicker Robbie Gould and long snapper Taybor Pepper missing the season finale on COVID-19 reserve.
Pepper, by the way, came aboard only after long-time snapper Kyle Nelson’s wayward snaps in Week 3.
The 49ers’ return game was atrocious, and they waited too long to give Aiyuk a shot. Instead, all the muffed punts and fair catches from Taylor, James, Dante Pettis and River Cracraft only reminded everyone that the 49ers have not returned a punt for points since 2011.
Allowing Dallas’ Ceedee Lamb to return a Week 15 kickoff for a return also showed how vulnerable special teams can be when injuries prompt so much personnel turnover, which really was the story of the 49ers’ 2020 season and upcoming offseason.