The San Francisco 49ers are holding their final practice of the offseason program today. After that, the team will break for six weeks and reconvene in late-July for training camp.
One of the biggest offseason stories has been the progress of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who is returning from an ACL injury suffered during Week 3 of last season. To say that he had a strong finish to the 2017 season would be an understatement. He won each of his five starts and earned a career-high Pro Football Focus grade of 86.6.
Garoppolo's grade took a hit in his limited play last season. It fell to 62.6 based on the snaps he took before his season-ending injury.
Which Garoppolo will the 49ers see during the upcoming season? Will it be the game-changing 2017 version or last year's quarterback?
Daniel Jeremiah answered that question on NFL Network.
"I still stand by what I saw, and I believe what I saw during that closing stretch to that (2017) season; that Jimmy Garoppolo is a perfect fit in this offense, in this scheme," Jeremiah said. "If fully healthy, with Kyle Shanahan calling plays, with George Kittle and some of the other young pieces they've added over the last two drafts, this is going to be a dynamic offense.
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"When you look on the other side of the ball, what they've added to their pass rush with Dee Ford as well as (Nick) Bosa, this is a dangerous team that absolutely nobody is talking about."
Steve Wyche jumped in to say he believes the 49ers could be in the hunt late in the season if Garoppolo remains healthy, noting that Shanahan finds ways to scheme players open. Then you have his creativity with the running game, which added Tevin Coleman to the mix.
"Now that he has Tevin Coleman to pair with Jerick McKinnon, who's coming back from a knee injury, and Matt Breida, who's a home run hitter, out of the backfield, they're going to have options," Wyche said.
Jeremiah believes the 49ers' season comes down to two things. The first being keeping Garoppolo healthy and the second being improved secondary play.
While the hype surrounding the team might not be at last year's level, Jeremiah has been high on San Francisco this offseason. He recently named the 49ers as the top stock to buy heading into the 2019 season.
Mentioned in this article: George Kittle
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