The San Francisco 49ers offense ranked last in red-zone efficiency last year (41.18 percent) when it comes to converting drives into touchdowns. Red-zone drills highlighted Thursday's training camp practice. It's an area that has to improve for the 49ers to be successful this season.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan joined KNBR on Thursday and was asked what the team needs to do to improve in the red zone — other than the healthy return of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. He went on to rattle off a lengthy list of things that need to happen for the 49ers offense to more frequently punch the football into the end zone.
"We need to run the ball better," Shanahan explained to Mark Willard and Tom Tolbert. "We need to beat man-to-man coverage better. We need to make better decisions at quarterback. We need to give him more opportunities, some easy freebies, as you'd say as coaches, where guys are just wide open, and just anyone can make the play.
"When you get down there, it gets tougher. It gets a lot tougher, and sometimes you've got to force your will on people. I thought we did a decent job, especially earlier in the year, running the ball. I thought we faded away towards the end of the year.
"I think getting our backs healthier, our O-line getting better, the five of them again. That will always help. Get Jimmy back. And I think (quarterbacks) Nick (Mullens) and C.J. (Beathard), they stepped it up and did some good things last year. I think they'll be better this year, also. Adding some of these receivers will help. I expect (tight end George) Kittle to come back better next year, too.
"It would be hard not to be better in the red zone because I don't think we did a very good job last year. But it's something we know we've got to get better at; not just getting points but getting touchdowns."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Shanahan below.
With the NFL Draft in the rearview mirror, Bleacher Report's NFL analyst, Brent Sobleski, has ranked every offense heading into the 2025 season. Leading the pack are the Baltimore Ravens, fresh off a 2024 campaign in which they led the league in total yards, ranked seventh in...
Brock Purdy reveals why no-trade clause was important in 49ers deal
By David Bonilla
May 21
Over the weekend, it was revealed that Brock Purdy's new contract, officially signed on Tuesday, includes a no-trade clause. While that detail caught attention, its significance may be overstated. Given the size of Purdy's deal, any potential trade would almost certainly...
Why Fred Warner believes 49ers' rookie defenders are ready to shine
By David Bonilla
May 19
Over the weekend, NBC Sports Bay Area caught up with Fred Warner at his annual ProCamps youth football event at St. Francis High School in Mountain View. The San Francisco 49ers linebacker is eager to get back to work this offseason. But, as is often the case year to year, the...
Why Brock Purdy is fired up about the 49ers' 2025 season
By David Bonilla
May 21
After being selected with the final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Brock Purdy signed a modest four-year rookie deal that included a $90,660 signing bonus. Fast forward to 2025, and the 49ers quarterback now has a five-year, $265 million contract extension, featuring a $41.1...