The big offseason storyline for the San Francisco 49ers is the health of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. He is expected to start throwing to teammates and doing some non-contact work in late-May, and the team hopes to have him medically cleared to practice during training camp.
A lot of the upcoming season is riding on Garoppolo, who is now over six months removed his ACL injury. Can the quarterback be the difference-maker for a 49ers team that won just four games last season?
Kay Adams of Good Morning Football asked her co-host, Nate Burleson, that question on Wednesday morning. Will Garoppolo lead the 49ers to a winning season? There was no mention of playoffs or anything more. Can he simply guide San Francisco to nine-or-more wins?
"I'm not sure," Burleson responded.
Burleson notes that there was no pressure on Garoppolo when Kyle Shanahan handed him the starting job for the final five games of the 2017 season. He went 5-0, which earned him a big contract and led to a lot of offseason hype.
"Then the season reset where all of the pressure is on," Burleson continued. "Now, it wasn't his fault that the ACL was torn. It wasn't his fault that Jerick McKinnon went down. I mean, they were devastated by injuries. But now, he has everything he needs. [He'll be] healthy, Jerick McKinnon's going to be there, Tevin Coleman is a great addition. Kwon Alexander, Dee Ford on defense. These are big-time pickups.
"Now, for the first time, I feel like Jimmy G has his team. There are no excuses. The problem is, he's playing in a division with Russell Wilson, who does not play around. The Rams have a strong hold on the NFC West, and I guarantee you the Cardinals aren't going to be playing around this year.
"Can they win? Yeah, they can win, but I'm not sure they can win in the NFC West. So my answer is, 'No.'"
Peter Schrager, however, loves what the 49ers have done this offseason to improve their roster. That includes trading for Dee Ford and adding to a running back group which he feels could be among the best in the NFL.
"Jerick McKinnon healthy, Tevin Coleman healthy, Matt Breida back for another go at it; we talk a lot about these running back rooms," Schrager said. "That might be the best running back room in football, and we don't even know what they can do yet."