Could Beckham fill role for SF.?
DENVER — The San Francisco 49ers are practicing in Colorado Springs — where Friday’s high temperature is expected to be 19 — this week before they play in warm-weather Mexico City on Monday night against the Cardinals.
The arrangement evokes memories of December 2016 when the 49ers practiced in steamy Orlando before playing in snowy Chicago (Cliff’s Notes game review: It didn’t go well).
They are hoping the disparate weather conditions won’t have an impact as they acclimate to high altitude. Colorado Springs is at 5,994 feet above sea level and Monday’s game is at Estadio Azteca, which is at an elevation of 7,218 feet.
The 49ers likely won’t add another big-name player before meeting Arizona. But could such a move be made this month? That brings us to the first question of the mailbag. (Some questions have been edited for length, grammar and/or clarity.)
@pedrofuego: What are the odds that 49ers sign Odell Beckham Jr.?
Let’s start with this: The 49ers are synonymous with injuries partly because they have a lousy track record when it comes to drafting (Javon Kinlaw), signing (Kwon Alexander) or trading for (Dee Ford) players with significant injury histories.
Related note: Beckham, 30, is less than nine months removed from having his second surgery since 2020 to repair his torn left ACL.
Also: The 49ers have a looming offseason salary-cap crunch. Here’s what general manager John Lynch said last month after they traded for the NFL’s highest-paid running back, Christian
McCaffrey: “I think we have a plan. Now, when you add something like this, you can't just keep doing this over and over and over again.”
Related note: Beckham reportedly wants to sign a multiyear contract that would average about $20 million annually (on a pro-rated basis in 2022).
Finally: The 49ers already have 147 offensive playmakers, including wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, and they rank among the NFL's bottom half when it comes to using formations with three wide receivers.
Related note: Beckham is a wide receiver.
Oh, sorry, I haven't directly answered the question: The odds of the 49ers adding Beckham would seem remote.
That said, Beckham reportedly has the 49ers among at least five playoff-contending teams he's considering joining, which could suggest he has received some level of interest from the 49ers.
And the 49ers shocked at least one beat writer and their own players last month when they traded for McCaffrey. Last week, Samuel recalled his knee-jerk reaction to the all-in move: “Oh, s—.”
@Ken47090940: Why do the special teams still stink even though they invested in it in the offseason?
This question comes after one of Mitch Wishnowsky's punts was partially blocked in Sunday's win over the Chargers. And after both of Robbie Gould's successful 20-yard field-goal tries were nearly blocked by outside rusher Asante Samuel Jr. because tight end Charlie Woerner barely touched him.
Is it really possible to block such a short field-goal attempt, you ask? Well, yes, because a
Gould 20-yard attempt was blocked and returned for an 86yard touchdown by the Seahawks in Week 2.
Gould's 43-yard field-goal attempt was blocked in Week 5 against the Panthers, when the 49ers also allowed kickoff returns of 45 and 48 yards. And then they allowed punt returns of 29 and 19 yards the next week against the Falcons.
You get the idea.
After last season's specialteams disaster got coordinator Richard Hightower dismissed, the 49ers replaced him with Brian Schneider, who hadn't coached during an NFL regular season since 2019.
Schneider deserves some blame for the consistent breakdowns. As for other reasons? The 49ers did add linebacker Oren Burks, safety George Odum and returner Ray-Ray
McCloud to upgrade their special-team units his season. But finances could be playing a role in some of their issues the past two years.
They are paying premium premium salaries to a large collection of Pro Bowlers, which requires Wal-Mart shopping in other areas. That includes the back end of the roster, which comprises plenty of specialteams players.
@truthinred13: Will we ever field our starting defensive line again this season?
Pass rusher Samson Ebukam will return from the quadriceps injury he suffered last week. Defensive tackle Arik Armstead will return from the hairline fracture in his left fibula that he suffered in Week 4.
The question mark: Kinlaw. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Friday that he's “expecting”
Kinlaw to come off injured reserve to play again this season. Kinlaw is eligible to be activated from IR this week, but Shanahan said he likely won't play against the Cardinals on Monday night, partly because of the altitude in Mexico City.
That suggests Kinlaw's troublesome surgically repaired knee still isn't issue-free after his ACL reconstruction in October. It's fair to wonder if it ever will be.
Before he went on injured reserve last month with swelling and fluid buildup in his knee, Kinlaw said he knew he was in for a “long year” and Shanahan maintained the 49ers “knew some things would act up on him” during the season.
That merited a follow-up question: The 49ers expected Kinlaw would have issues with fluid in his knee?
Shanahan answered. Sort of. He appeared to nod in his wordless response that was transcribed by the 49ers' public-relation staff thusly: “(Affirmative).”
My sense is the 49ers didn't expect Kinlaw to miss six games and counting this season. The situation suggests they don't know what the rest of 2022 will hold.
@RichardDSmith16: Will the 49ers bring in a veteran cornerback for depth?
It's a good question, considering Jason Verrett is on seasonending IR and their depth is headlined by rookie nickel cornerback Samuel Womack, who was benched after Week 2, and Ambry Thomas, whose brief upand-down career might be at its nadir.
The situation is so shaky because starter Emmanuel Moseley suffered a torn ACL in midOctober. Moseley's injury is why I thought the 49ers should invest draft-pick resources on a corner before the trade deadline.
A possible look into the future came in their win against the Rams on Oct. 30. Cornerback Charvarius Ward briefly exited with a shoulder stinger in the first quarter and his replacement, Thomas, allowed two catches and had a holding penalty in eight snaps before Ward returned.
It will be difficult for the 49ers to upgrade their depth in midNovember. Their options are to pluck a corner from another team's practice squad or sign an unemployed veteran.
It's unlikely, but not impossible, the latter approach could be fruitful: Starting free safety Tashaun Gipson, 32, was hanging out with his family in Dallas when the 49ers signed him shortly before the regular season.