Numbers assigned to some new players

The San Francisco 49ers endured a league-high number of injuries last season in what was supposed to be a year dedicated to avenging their Super Bowl loss. Instead, the injuries quickly transformed the team's roster by Week 2. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo missed 10 games. Tight end George Kittle missed eight. The then-reigning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, Nick Bosa, was done by Week 2. The team went on to win just six games, finishing last in the NFC West. The 49ers hope 2020 was an outlier. On paper, the roster is talented. Players have to stay on the football field, though, for the team to reach its potential. It's difficult to win without your best young pass rusher or your top receiving threat. It's a challenge to put the hopes of a season on the

The NFL reportedly informed teams that it would not extend the 18-week season to accommodate a COVID-19 outbreak among unvaccinated players. Last year, there were multiple postponements as the league navigated through the bizarre season amid a pandemic. There will be no rescheduling of games in 2021. The league hopes players will take it upon themselves to get vaccinated and protect themselves and their families as training camps get set to kick off. Should there be an outbreak, the impacted club or clubs could be forced to forfeit, accruing a defeat, and not being paid for the lost game. A team with an outbreak could also be responsible for

Earlier this week, on a segment of Game Theory, Cynthia Frelund gave her argument as for why the San Francisco 49ers will make the playoffs in 2021 after missing out in 2020. Frelund attributed their recent Super Bowl appearance as a factor in her decision as well as the multitude of injuries that affected the team last season. "They were in the Super Bowl just like five minutes ago and they had a whole bunch of injuries, but they get all those players back." Looking at the offensive side of the ball, Frelund highlighted star tight end George Kittle, who, according to Next Gen Stats, has averaged 8.0 yards after the catch per reception since 2018, which is the highest in the NFL given a minimum of 25 receptions. In addition to Kittle,