San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
UNIT BREAKDOWNS
Run offense
Last year’s second-ranked rushing attack figures to remain strong. Raheem Mostert ran for 715 yards, averaged 6.1 yards a carry and scored 12 touchdowns in the final eight games last season (including playoffs). Still, he had more than 14 carries only twice in that stretch, meaning he won’t be an old-school, bell-cow back. Tevin Coleman will have a prominent role and Jerick McKinnon, who last played in 2017, figures to see his most action being creatively employed as the third-down back. The offensive line has strong bookends — Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams and right tackle Mike McGlinchey — and left guard Laken Tomlinson has fulfilled his first-round promise in Santa Clara. Center Ben Garland will sub for injured starter Weston Richburg for at least the first six games. Right guard Daniel Brunskill, an undrafted free agent who was discovered after a pit stop in the Alliance of American Football, will have a chance to prove his stellar fill-in work last year was no fluke.
Pass offense
Jimmy Garoppolo is coming off one of the best seasons by a 49ers quarterback this century, but it will be a disappointment if he doesn’t improve on his 3,978-yard, 27-touchdown, 13-interception season. He could have his best collection of pass catchers since he arrived in 2017, but question marks surround the group. George Kittle and Jordan Reed could form one of the NFL’s top tight end duos if Reed can stay healthy after missing 28 of his past 41 games due to injury. And Deebo Samuel and rookie Brandon Aiyuk could emerge as a dynamic young twosome, if Samuel returns without issues from a broken foot (he will miss at least the first three games) and Aiyuk can develop after an injury-shortened training camp that was preceded by an offseason without practices. The unknowns continue with wide receiver Trent Taylor, who hasn’t played since 2018, and Dante Pettis, who was benched for the latter part of 2019.
Run defense
The Wide 9 alignment favored by defensive line coach Kris Kocurek creates better angles for edge rushers, but also can create bigger running holes for opposing offenses. The 49ers’ secondranked defense was 17th in rushing yards allowed per game (112.6) and 23rd in yards allowed per rushing attempt (4.5) last year. The 49ers think first-round pick defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw could upgrade their run defense as he replaces All-Pro DeForest Buckner, a superior pass rusher who is about 25 pounds lighter than the rookie. A key will be nose tackle D.J. Jones, who could emerge as one of the league’s best at his position if he can stay on the field after missing eight games (including the playoffs) last year. The second level is capably manned by a speedy linebacker trio of Fred Warner, Kwon Alexander and Dre Greenlaw.
Pass defense
Last year they finally had a legitimate pass rush, and they also had cornerback Richard Sherman back in All-Pro form. The result: They allowed 169.2 net passing yards per game, the fewest in the NFL since the 2009 Jets. Most of the same pieces are in place. The pass rush will have Pro Bowlers Nick Bosa and Dee Ford along with Arik Armstead, who had a team-high 10 sacks last year. The front will miss Buckner, but the starting secondary from the Super Bowl is intact. Cornerback Emmanuel Moseley offered evidence he’s a quality starter, but the undrafted free agent has only nine career starts. Jimmie Ward and Jaquiski Tartt are a quality safety duo when intact; they have combined to miss 44 games due to injuries over the past four seasons.
Special teams
Robbie Gould, 38, went from near-perfect (33 of 34) in 2018 to ranking 26th in the NFL with a career-worst field-goal percentage (74.2) last year. However, the kicking duties probably remain in capable hands: Gould made 18 of his last 19 attempts, a turnaround that began when long snapper Kyle Nelson returned from a suspension. Punter Mitch Wishnowsky, who cost them a fourthround pick last year, ranked 14th in net average (41.6), but the 49ers did allow the fifth fewest punt return yards in the NFL (131). It’s likely wide receiver Richie James will retain the kick-return roles after ranking seventh in the NFL last year in punt-return average (8.0).
Coaching
Kyle Shanahan is acknowledged as one of the NFL’s brightest offensive minds, and defensive coordinator Robert Saleh went from the hot seat after his second season to a head-coach candidate last year. In addition, they have a host of widely respected assistants, a group that includes run-game coordinator Mike McDaniel, passing-game coordinator Mike LaFleur, tight ends coach Jon Embree, running backs coach Bobby Turner and Kocurek. The 49ers return 18 starters and have just eight players on their initial roster who weren’t with the team last year. That continuity, along with their coaching staff, should minimize the impact of a run-up to the regular season that didn’t include OTAs or preseason games, along with a shortened training camp.