49ers hope stability will pay dividends

For all the focus on the big names that left San Francisco this offseason like longtime left tackle Joe Staley and defensive anchor DeForest Buckner, the reality is the 49ers will look much the same in 2020.

The defending NFC champion Niners are returning 18 of 22 starters from a team that fell one quarter short of winning it all, the type of continuity that could be especially crucial during this virtual offseason.

While many teams are trying to install new systems or get several new players up to speed while teams are spread out around the country during the COVID-19 pandemic, the 49ers are mostly intact.

“The continuity obviously is for sure an advantage,” linebacker Fred Warner said this week. “There’s a lot of turnover every year in the NFL because that’s just the nature of the business. Us having a lot of the same people in the building this year will be good for us, having that chemistry and being familiar with one another.”

The 49ers’ ability to bring back so many key pieces began even before last season ended when defensive coordinator Robert Saleh was beaten out for the head coaching in Cleveland by Kevin Stefanski, ensuring that San Francisco wouldn’t have to replace a coordinator.

The biggest loss happened at the start of the league’s business season when Buckner was traded to Indianapolis for a firstround pick, leaving a void in the middle of the defensive line.

But that deal also enabled general manager John Lynch to retain two other key defensive starters in lineman Arik Armstead and safety Jimmie Ward.

MARK J. TERRILL — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The 49ers’ Fred Warner, center, celebrates his interception against the Chiefs during the second half of the Super Bowl in Miami Gardens, Fla.