Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
NFL.com: “Book the Niners for next year’s playoff party”
Jan 19, 2021 at 1:48 PM
•
Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
Despite having a significant number of players set to hit free agency, most realize that the San Francisco 49ers have a strong nucleus in place. That includes a talented coaching staff. The 2020 season was seen as an abnormality and not necessarily the signs of a lasting downfall.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan is still considered one of the best young football minds in the league. His squad simply could not overcome the rash of injuries that plagued its depth chart.
One
Around the NFL writer, Marc Sessler, expects a healthier 49ers roster to rebound in 2021. He listed the team among his
four top candidates poised for a turnaround following disappointing 2020 campaigns.
"My reasoning is simple: Kyle Shanahan is a top-three coach," explains Sessler. "He did more to prove that this season than during San Francisco's Super Bowl run a year ago. No team in football was more harassed with injuries, as the Niners deposited a league-high 31 players on injured reserve. Jimmy Garoppolo,
George Kittle, Raheem Mostert,
Deebo Samuel and
Brandon Aiyuk all missed substantial chunks of time on offense, while
Nick Bosa, Dee Ford, Solomon Thomas and Richard Sherman made a combined nine starts for an overachieving, injury-ravaged defense."
The New York Jets are another team on Sessler's list. He calls the move to name former 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh the head coach a "transformative hire."
In Santa Clara, the loss of Saleh could be significant. San Francisco replaced him with linebackers coach DeMeco Ryans, who has been with the team since Shanahan's hiring in 2017. The 49ers head coach also has an offensive coordinator for the first time, promoting run-game coordinator Mike McDaniel to the role.
"It's fair to wonder about falloff on that side of the ball with inside linebackers coach DeMeco Ryans replacing the beloved Robert Saleh at coordinator," continues Sessler. "I trust the Niners to keep the vibe alive, especially on offense, where trusted assistant Mike McDaniel will take over coordinator duties. I had a Niners coach tell me at last year's NFL Scouting Combine -- the last time I hung out with anyone -- that McDaniel was not unlike a mad scientist. A brilliant schemer. A secret weapon who remains.
"Will Shanahan and McDaniel be calling plays for Garoppolo or another? San Francisco is a second team to watch on the
Watson front. Either way, book the Niners for next year's playoff party. They have every right to seethe over what occurred this past autumn."
Facebook Comments
More San Francisco 49ers News
2024 NFL Free Agency Questions and Answers
NFL Communications provided the following information regarding the 2024 NFL Free Agency signing period.
When does the 2024 free agency signing period begin?
At 4:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 13.
When is the two-day negotiating period for potential unrestricted free agents?
From 12:00 p.m. ET on Monday, March 11 until 3:59:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 13, clubs are permitted to contact and enter into contract negotiations with the certified agents of players who will become unrestricted free agents upon expiration of their 2023 player contracts at 4:00 p.m. ET on March 13. The two-day negotiating period applies only to prospective unrestricted free agents. It
Updated list of 49ers draft picks in 2024 after NFL penalty
The NFL has penalized the San Francisco 49ers for payroll accounting errors that occurred at the end of the 2022 league year. This has led to the team forfeiting their fifth-round draft pick in 2025 and a reduction in their fourth-round pick in the upcoming draft.
San Francisco's fourth-round selection, initially No. 131 overall, now shifts down four spots to the end of the round at No. 135, following the compensatory picks from that round.
Despite this setback, the 49ers still possess 10 selections in the 2024 NFL Draft but will be short a pick next year. The team's selections in the upcoming draft are as follows:
Round 1, Pick 31 Overall
Round
Charvarius Ward willing to help 49ers land Tre'Davious White
The San Francisco 49ers likely aren't finished fortifying their defense and have reportedly expressed interest in bolstering their defensive backfield. If they require assistance making a significant move, one 49ers player is prepared to lend a helping hand.
Last week, the Buffalo Bills released All-Pro cornerback Tre'Davious White, who appears to be an ideal fit for San Francisco's needs opposite Charvarius Ward. Over the weekend, Ward took to social media to reveal that he and White share the same agent and that he is willing to nudge the free-agent defensive back in the right direction.
Ward described White as a "hand in glove
49ers LB Fred Warner and wife Sydney welcome first baby
According to PEOPLE, San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner and his wife, Sydney, have welcomed their first baby, son Beau Anthony, into the world. Beau was born on Thursday, March 7, in San Jose, California.
San Francisco 49ers' Fred Warner and Wife Sydney Welcome First Baby: 'Over the Moon' (Exclusive) https://t.co/wrEEOTCeKJ— People (@people) March 11,