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Breaking Down the 49ers Roster Needs - Defense

By Scooter_McG 

Last week I looked at the 49ers roster needs on offense, breaking down the key players that are coming off contract and where I think the team's main holes were on that side of the ball. This week its time to look at the other side of the ball, where there are a lot of key players coming off contract.  

DL: Under contract: Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead, Javon Kinlaw, Dee Ford, Samson Ebukam, Charles Omenihu. UFA: DJ Jones, Arden Key, Jordan Willis, Maurice Hurst, Kentavius Street. ERFA: Kevin Givens.

The 49ers have their two main DL stars, Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead, locked up for a couple more years, with Bosa also likely to get an extension some time this offseason. Armstead really shined during the second half of 2021 after moving to his more natural DT position full time, and it would be a surprise if the team doesn't now decide to keep him there.  The hope will be that 2020 1st round pick Javon Kinlaw, who returns in 2022 from knee surgery, can now put his knee troubles behind him, live up to his draft status and make a strong contribution as part of the interior rotation. After Armstead and Kinlaw the 49ers cupboard is currently bare at DT, however, Kevin Givens will be an easy one to retain as an ERFA.  

DJ Jones was the team's most consistent DT all season and made a number of defensive stops throughout the year, but is off contract and will likely draw a decent amount of interest on the open market. Kentavius Street also saw a lot of time at DT throughout the year, though was mostly underwhelming.

At DE, aside from Bosa, the 49ers have Ford, Ebukam and Omenihu under contract. Ford has now, effectively, missed two straight seasons due to recurring neck and back issues and it wouldn't surprise if he either retires or is let go as a designated post-June cut. Ebukam and Omenihu both came on strong towards the back end of 2021 and provide nice rotational pieces along the DL. 

Arden Key and Jordan Willis are the two main FAs at DE for the 49ers. Key in particular played well in 2021, and was the team's second leading sack maker after Bosa. As with a lot of the 49ers DL, he improved as the season went on and was playing at a high level to finish the year as he split time between DE and DT on passing downs. Willis also provided some memorable and important contributions down the stretch - none more so than the blocked punt against the Packers.

In part the strong play of many of the DL down the stretch can be attributed to Bosa getting more and more attention as the year went on, but it is also an example of how DL coach Kris Kocurek can get the most out of strong, linear athletes. 

Needs: With DJ Jones a FA and only two DTs under contract there is an obvious need for some additions there. Givens will be an easy one to retain, but ideally the team would have at least five players on the roster they feel comfortable can be part of the interior DL rotation. At DE, while Ebukam and Omenihu are under contract and played well to close out 2021, the team's success was largely a matter of having good depth that could rotate and be fresh. Key and Willis were part of that strong rotation and the 49ers will need to find replacements should they leave. No doubt the team will be interested in retaining both Key and Willis should the price be right, but I also suspect the team will allow them to test the FA waters and not get into a bidding war for either. Kocurek has proven himself to be the great leveller the past two years, getting nice production from other teams discards by putting them in a system that suits their skills. 

It also feels like a piece has been missing from the DL since Ford's injury. Given the type of DEs the team has been targeting the past two years have all been long, strong, linear types I doubt they will go out and get a Ford clone, but having another dominant DE opposite Bosa, no matter their play style, would take a good DL and make it great. 

LB: Under contract: Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw. UFA: Marcell Harris. RFA: Azeez Al-Shaair. ERFA: Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles. 

Warner is the undisputed leader of the team on defense and is signed long term. The 49ers primarily play with just two LBs on the field and when everyone is healthy that second LB has primarily been Greenlaw the past two years, who is also under contract for 2022. Flannigan-Fowles will likely be retained for depth on the cheap as an ERFA. 

After that, however, things get a little murky. Al-Shaair got an opportunity in 2021 as Greenlaw was hurt early in the year and he made the most of it. By the end of the season Al-Shaair was competing with Greenlaw for the LB spot next to Warner in nickel. If both players were FAs this year it wouldn't surprise if Al-Shaair was considered the higher priority signing than Greenlaw by the 49ers. 

Al-Shaair is a RFA so the 49ers have the power to retain him fairly easily should they choose to. But the problem the 49ers face, and in fact will face with all of their RFAs, is that Al-Shaair was originally undrafted, meaning to get any compensation for him being signed elsewhere they would need to off a 2nd round tender at nearly $4M. That may be more than the team is looking to spend. The right of first refusal tender (around $2.4M) may be more palatable for the 49ers, but runs the risk of seeing another team sign him with no requirement of compensation - in which case the 49ers may just be better off letting him test the FA waters. 

Harris, the former safety, transitioned to LB in 2021 after being re-signed last offseason but will likely be allowed to test FA once again in 2022.

Needs: The "need" at LB is all about depth. Warner and Greenlaw are fine as the starters, and DFF saw a lot of time at the strong side LB position last season. If they decide to tender Al-Shaair, or re-sign him without tendering, then this position group won't need much attention this offseason. If Al-Shaair departs, a low cost veteran for competition and/ or a mid to late round draft pick should be sufficient. 

DB: Under contract: Jimmie Ward, Emmanuel Moseley, Ambry Thomas, Tarvarius Moore, Talanoa Hufanga, Deommodore Lenoir. UFA: Jason Verrett, K'Waun Williams, Jaquiski Tartt, Tavon Wilson, Josh Norman, Dontae Johnson. 

Last offseason the 49ers entered free agency with a lot of holes at DB, with Jimmie Ward the lone starter under contract. Aside from the two year deal they gave to Moseley, the other three starters they re-signed (Verrett, Williams and Tartt) were all signed to one year deals and now find themselves back on the FA market in 2022. A couple of depth pieces in Dontae "the Boomerang" Johnson and Tavon Wilson, both of whom were called upon at various points in the season to take starter snaps, are also FAs, as well as Josh Norman who was signed just as the season was starting and ended up playing a lot of starting snaps once Verrett went down with injury before being replaced towards the end of the season by rookie Ambry Thomas. 

As a result the 49ers are once again going to need to restock the DB room this offseason. 

Ward and Moseley return as the veteran starters and both have become reliable players when healthy. However, as has been the case throughout his career to date, Moseley was banged up numerous times during the year and missed some time. 

As noted Ambry Thomas got some starter experience towards the end of the season after he replaced Norman and showed improvement each week. He will no doubt be in the mix for a starting CB spot in 2022. Hufanga and Lenoir also saw action, but with mixed results. Hufanga brings a lot of energy and fire, but looks like a potential option to move closer to the line of scrimmage as a pseudo LB as he was found out for speed a few times when playing as the deep safety. Lenoir ended up starting the first few weeks of the season filling in for injuries, but after the Packers game rarely saw another opportunity and tumbled down the depth chart. 

The 49ers will also get Tarvarius Moore back in 2022. While he was scheduled for FA this offseason, he landed on PUP after tearing his Achilles in June and as this was the last season of his rookie contract, his contract will 'toll' to 2022. Moore has flirted with challenging for a starting role for a couple of years and was being looked at as the potential starter at SS before the injury, following an offseason where he had bulked up to compete for the role. 

Needs: With Moseley, Thomas, Ward and Moore, the 49ers at least have potential starting options at both outside CB and safety positions. But depth is sorely lacking and it would be surprise if the team doesn't look to bring in a CB and SS that can at least compete for those starting roles, if not flat out be expected to take them. At CB for example, rumours are that Stephon Gilmore may be an option. That would allow Moseley and Thomas to compete for the other CB spot while also improving depth. And given the history of injuries at CB for the 49ers it wouldn't surprise if they aim to have four starting calibre CBs on the books.  

The slot CB spot is wide open. No doubt Lenoir will be given a chance to compete for the spot, but it won't be handed to him. If the 49ers do look to add an outside CB or two, there is potential that Moseley may be given some looks inside to compete for the role, but even so it would be a surprise if the team doesn't add a starter or some competition here too.    

Declined

 Andrew Marchand of the NY Post is reporting that Lynch had dinner with Amazon's representatives and was offered a much more lucrative TV deal than what he is currently making to do broadcast work. He has declined their offer which lines up with his previous statements; he had stated that he'd been presented with a few of these opportunities but he's committed to this organization. Good news for us and at least he got himself a free meal out of the deal!

Breaking Down the 49ers Roster Needs - Offense

By Scooter_McG

The 49ers head into the start of new league year with a pretty strong roster already on the books, but with only 39 players under contract (including reserve/ futures contracts) and not much wiggle room cap wise. There are also some key contributors from 2021 that will be testing the FA waters this year unless the 49ers can reach agreements prior to the start of the new league year. 

Before we get into discussing the potential free agents and draft picks the 49ers may be interested in, it is worth taking a look over the 49ers roster as it stands today, including players under contract and pending free agents, to identify potential needs. Here is a breakdown of the 49ers roster and free agents on offense, and where I see the 49ers key positional needs on the offensive side of the ball heading into 2022. I will take a look at defense in a separate post.

Note that I have excluded players on reserve/ future contracts from this list, given those guys are typically more just training camp bodies.

QB: Under contract: Jimmy Garoppolo, Trey Lance. UFA: Nate Sudfeld.

The 49ers presumably have the starting QB spot locked up with Trey Lance ready to take over in year 2. Jimmy Garoppolo also remains on the roster for now, but all signs point to the 49ers actively looking to trade him and recoup some of the draft capital they gave up for Lance. 3rd string WB Nate Sudfeld will be a FA. 

Needs: Assuming the 49ers do as expected and trade Jimmy G, the team will have just one QB (Lance) under contract. It would be wise to pair Lance with a veteran QB that has starting experience to be his backup and potentially push him for the starting role if Lance falters in camp. A 3rd string QB will also be needed, though Sudfeld will likely be a preferred option for that role again in 2022.

OL: Under contract: Trent Williams, Mike McGlinchey, Alex Mack, Aaron Banks, Jaylon Moore, Justin Skule. UFA: Laken Tomlinson, Tom Compton. RFA: Dan Brunskill, Jake Brendel. ERFA: Colton McKivitz. 

Bookends Trent Williams and Mike McGlinchey are under contract, as is anchor Alex Mack. Williams is the best LT in football, while Mack was still very good last season and at his best McGlinchey can be an above average RT (an excellent in the run game). Those three also play the three positions along the OL that Shanahan has traditionally most valued. However, there are question marks for McGlinchey (returning from serious injury) and Mack (potential retirement). 

Both starting OGs are off contract, though Brunskill is a RFA and the 49ers should have little trouble keeping him. Tomlinson, however, appears set to test the FA market. Tom Compton, who was serviceable as a replacement to McGlinchey in 2021, is also off contract. 

Expectations will no doubt be high that 2021 draft picks Aaron Banks and Jaylon Moore can step into key roles in 2022, in particular Banks who was drafted in the 2nd round and may be in line to take over at LG from Tomlinson. Justin Skule returns from injury to provide some depth, while ERFA Colton McKivitz can also be brought back easily. 

Needs: If McGlinchey and Mack are back and playing decent football in 2022, and Banks can step in at LG and Moore at swing tackle, the 49ers "need" at OL is just depth and competition. But that is a lot of ifs. Even if the Glinch and Mack return it would seem wise for the 49ers to invest in each position to provide cover and have guys ready to step in in 2023.

RB: Under contract: Elijah Mitchell, Trey Sermon, Kyle Juzszcyk. UFA: Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson, Trenton Cannon. ERFA: JaMycal Hasty. 

Elijah Mitchell established himself as the bell-cow RB for the 49ers last year, and will no doubt be expected to carry the load in 2022. While Mitchell impressed, fellow rookie and 3rd round pick Sermon was used sparingly and appeared to spend much of the year in Shanahan and Turner's doghouse. Given where he was selected the 49ers will be hoping for much better returns from Sermon in 2022. "Juice" also returns at FB and remains the best FB in the NFL. 

After Mitchell and Sermon the cupboard is currently bare at RB - however, Shanahan has already indicated that do-everything All Pro WR/ "Wide-Back" Deebo Samuel will continue to be used at both WR and RB in 2022, providing a nice complementary piece to the RB room. 

In terms of players scheduled for FA, Mostert can be electric when healthy and nigh unstoppable at his best. But staying healthy has always been a struggle with Mostert. I am sure the 49ers would love to have him back, but also will be unlikely to get into a bidding war for him. Wilson and Cannon look like players that may struggle to see much of a market materialise for them and the 49ers could likely keep each of them on the veteran minimum. Even if they do get signed elsewhere, they are journeymen type RBs that should be fairly easy to replace. JaMycal Hasty is an ERFA and is likely to return. 

Needs: The 49ers will need to sign some depth behind Mitchell and Sermon, but don't need to spend big. However, finding a RB that can provide a similar skill set to Mostert would make the 49ers ground attack all the more dangerous in 2022. 

WR: Under contract: Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk. UFAs: Mohamed Sanu, Trent Sherfield, Travis Benjamin, Richie James. ERFA: Jauan Jennings.  

The two starting WR spots are locked in for the 49ers with Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. Samuel will likely also be getting a nice extension this offseason. Jauan Jennings finished the 2021 season as the 49ers #3 WR and as an ERFA will no doubt be brought back to compete for that role again in 2022. 

After that, the 49ers have some spots to fill. None of Sherfield, Benjamin or James really impressed in 2021, though Sherfield may be looked at to provide some STs depth. Sanu was decent early in the year before getting injured, but made way to Jennings later in the year. Deebo and Aiyuk have mentioned that Sanu's experience and leadership has been a great help in training and so the 49ers may want him to return at least for another training camp. 

Needs: As outlined above, the 49ers need depth after their top 3 WRs. And they may want to bring in a WR that can compete with Jennings for the #3 role. Areas the 49ers should prioritise is a WR with punt return capability, as well as a WR that can reliably stretch the field. 

The 49ers may also be on the look out for a player that can take on the role they envisaged for Jalen Hurd when they drafted him. In may respects that role was taken over by Deebo in 2021, but don't be surprised if the 49ers are once again in the market for a WR/RB/TE hybrid in the 2022 draft.

TE: Under contract: George Kittle, Charlie Woerner. UFA: Ross Dwelley. 

Kittle remains one of the top TEs in the NFL, and arguably the most well rounded TE in football. Health has been an issue the past two years though. Woerner improved considerably in 2021, in particular as a blocker, and provides nice depth at the position. Dwelley is a FA and saw his role diminish in 2021 - don't expect him to return in 2022. 

Needs: With only 2 TEs on the books, some depth will be needed. But don't be surprised if the 49ers do more than just look for bottom of the roster depth. TE has been a position the 49ers have flirted with on numerous off-seasons, looking to add a complementary TE to Kittle. There were rumours they tried hard to sign Austin Hooper, and did bring in Jordan Reed in 2020. There has already been some rumours that Shanahan is interested in exploring the market for a similar type of TE/ big slot receiver in 2022.

Happy Anniversary!

 

It was brought to my attention that today is the 1 year anniversary of our little clubhouse known as, Inspired 49ers. Where fans can come to meet up with old friends and develop new ones discussing everything Niners. 

It's been a whirlwind year and although it didn't end the way we all would have liked; the 49ers have set themselves up for sustained success. They've got some big decisions to make with regards to restructure's, resigning's, free agency and a draft class that's deep in value from pick #15 through pick #60. WR stands out to me as the deepest positional quality, while QB looks like the weakest. I don't expect the 49ers to address the secondary until round 3 as has been their SOP. I'd expect them to look hard early at center and edge, specifically a speed rusher to take Ford's role. 

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Scooter's graciousness in volunteering his talent to educate and entertain our fans. His contributions have been appreciated by all. I haven't heard from Midwest Dynasty in quite some time, so if there is another out there that would like to take his place just shoot me an email. 

Soon, we will be doing a positional breakdown of the draft and identifying those players in the draft the 49ers might have interest in. Until then, I wish you all a wonderful offseason. Go Niners!

49ers Offseason Priorities Before Free Agency Starts

By Scooter_McG 

With the 2021 season now over for the 49ers, it is time to set sights towards the 2022 season and beyond. This offseason is going to be particularly interesting as it marks (or at least is widely expected to mark) a key inflection point for the Kyle Shanahan led 49ers - the transition to their QBOTF in Trey Lance. 

Of course there is some possibility the team chooses to go with a veteran QB for another season, whether it be rolling with JG for another year or bringing in a veteran starter from elsewhere (e.g., if Tom Brady decides he really wants to have a farewell season with his boyhood team). But I think those possibilities are highly remote. Assuming they don't go down that path, here is how I see the 49ers offseason priorities.

1. Replenish and future proof the coaching staff. This is already underway, but is a vital component to the team's success not only in 2022, but also future years. Losing McDaniel is a big blow given his importance to devising the run game (in particular) over the past five years. He has already taken Wes Welker with him to Miami. The well respected TEs coach and Assistant HC Jon Embree has also departed, along with STs coach Richard Hightower and two assistant OL coaches. There has also been speculation that long time Shanahan RBs coach Bobby Turner is weighing his options on retirement or coming back for another year. 

Last year the team lost 10 of their coaching staff, including high profile coaches in DC Robert Saleh, passing game coordinator Mike LaFleur and secondary coach Tony Oden. The team has seen a lot of turnover in the coaching staff two straight years. It likely won't get any better next year, with DC DeMeco Ryans widely tipped to be a HC in waiting.     

It is imperative then that the team bring in some quality coaching staff to replenish the stocks, while also providing long term options should key staff leave next year. This process has gotten off to a good start with the 49ers bringing former Chargers HC and Bobby Turner disciple Anthony Lynn on board as Assistant HC. The 49ers are also rumoured to be in discussions with Vic Fangio for a return to the 49ers in a consulting role, which would be another home run hire that would not only help the development of Ryans as a DC, but also provide a ready made replacement for Ryans should he be offered a HC role next year. 

But it would behoove the 49ers to also find some fresh blood - up and coming coaches that can bring fresh ideas and energy. Shanahan and Lynn (as well as Fangio, if he comes on board) have a strong network throughout the league so finding quality coaches to bring in shouldn't be an issue. And there are also some young faces already on the coaching staff that may be promoted, such as offensive quality control coach Leonard Hankerson (would seem an ideal candidate for taking over the WR coaching role from Wes Welker given his familiarity playing WR for Shanahan) and defensive quality control coach Klay Kubiak, whose father Gary was instrumental in the success of Mike Shanahan, and also mentored Kyle.  

2. Get under the cap. The 49ers are currently sitting over the 2022 cap, so it will be imperative the 49ers find ways to reduce 2022 cap liabilities prior to the new year starting. The obvious answer here would seem to be trading Jimmy Garoppolo. However, such a trade can only be finalised until after the new football year starts, which means the 49ers need to be under the cap before they can trade JG. 

Complicating matters for the 49ers is that there are not a lot of obvious candidates on the roster for being cut to free up cap space. Cutting Dee Ford would seem like a smart move at first glance given his bloated contract and difficulty seeing the field, however, cutting Ford does not free up much cap space due to his dead cap hit. There are some players like Ebukam they could release, but then Ebukam came on strong towards the back end of last season and is a player the team would likely want to keep. 

So the most likely scenario is for the 49ers to restructure a few contracts to push cap hits to future years. Players like Armstead and Ward would make the most sense.

3. Find a trade partner for Jimmy G. Flat out releasing JG would actually solve offseason priority #2 above, however, it seems highly unlikely the 49ers would do that as the team should be able to find a trade market for him. Finding a trade partner should be something they aim to do prior to the new league year commencing, and should aggressively pursue, so they can get his salary off their books as soon as FA commences. This is a situation where it does the 49ers little good to prolong a deal. 

However, they also shouldn't just give JG away, so if it takes some time to get a trade market going the team may need to get creative with freeing up some cap space in order to be active in the FA market while carrying JG's contract for a while.  

4. Re-sign key free agents. This is an obvious offseason priority every year, so no need to belabour the point. But the team does have some high profile (and some lower profile) free agents that they would no doubt like to keep so long as the price is right. The ERFAs such as Jennings, Givens and Hasty are easy to keep, but the team will need to consider what round offer to give for RFAs such as Al-Shaair and Brunskill, who were both UDFAs (and thus the low RFA offer would require no compensation to the 49ers should another team sign them). 

In terms of UFAs, I expect the key guy the 49ers will most want to keep is DJ Jones, who has been excellent the past two seasons and is entering his prime years. I suspect they will try and lock him away prior to the start of free agency. Some other notable players the team will no doubt be keeping tabs on are Laken Tomlinson, Arden Key, K'Waun Williams, Jaquiski Tartt, Jason Verrett, Jordan Willis and Raheem Mostert. But I think the 49ers will wait and see how the market looks for all of those players and won't get into bidding wars.   

Hightower Moves On

Who ya got taking over the special teams duties? Bisaccia is headed to Green Bay, but what about Joe Judge?

Anthony Lynn expected to be hired as 49ers Assistant HC

By Scooter_McG

There has been speculation surrounding why former 49ers assistant HC and TE coach Jon Embree was first asked to take a pay cut, then let go by the 49ers. It appears the reasons are starting to come into focus. 

Adam Schefter reports that Anthony Lynn, the former Chargers HC and long time offensive coach around the NFL (including stops as OC at Buffalo and last year with the Lions) has agreed to join the 49ers as the assistant HC. If true, this is a hire that could have some significant benefits for the 49ers, but also may signify some high profile changes to the coaching staff.

First off, Lynn is a renowned run game specialist. He spent large portions of his coaching career as a RBs coach prior to moving up to OC and then HC duties. As we know, the running game is a vital cog in the 49ers offense so having a well respected running game mind like Lynn in the ranks makes a lot of sense. Second, Lynn helped develop Justin Herbert his rookie year, and was the mastermind of the offense that helped make him rookie of the year. This should bode well for the development of Trey Lance next year. 

But what is interesting is that for the 49ers, the role of running game expert is already well catered for by current OC and run game mastermind Mike McDaniel, who prior to being elevated to OC was the 49ers run game coordinator. The hiring of Lynn is a big development as it may indicate the 49ers believe McDaniel, who is a finalist for the Dolphins HC job, may well be on the move and they need to insulate themselves should that occur. 

It should also be noted that Lynn has significant experience working with RBs and that current 49ers RBs coach Bobby Turner (who has been with the Shanahan's forever) is now 72 years old. In fact, Lynn was once coached by Turner (and Mike Shanahan) as a player, when he was a RB with the Broncos and is familar with Turner's coaching style. At some point the 49ers will have to accept that Turner can't do this forever, and while there has been no indication that Turner has any inclination to give coaching away any time soon, it behooves them to bring in someone that can assist or take over should Turner decide to call it a day. 

It would appear the 49ers have been aggressive in their pursuit of Lynn, and knew that to get him on board before he got snapped up elsewhere they needed to include an assistant HC title in the role. 

I think this is an excellent and exciting hire by the 49ers that should pay big dividends in the development of Trey Lance and ongoing evolution of the 49ers running game. And it may also put into focus who the 49ers see as their ideal backup and mentor to Lance - Lynn has significant history working with Tyrod Taylor in the past and it would not surprise at all if that connection is re-established in 2022.  

Open/General Discussion 2021 Post Season