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Some wondered if Dee Ford would ever take another NFL snap after a back injury sidelined the veteran pass rusher for all but one game last season. Today, Ford feels healthy, and he's ready to show everyone why the San Francisco 49ers surrendered a second-round draft pick for him in 2019.
Ford's recovery this offseason has been a pleasant surprise, and the defender could be primed for a bounceback campaign. That's what ESPN's Nick Wagoner is predicting.
"But Ford has slowly been rounding back into form in training camp, and showed his usual burst off the edge," wrote Wagoner as part of
ESPN's most-recent Football Power Index (FPI) ranking, which landed San Francisco at No. 8. "If Ford is healthy, he won't be asked to play more than roughly 20 snaps per game, but those should put him in position to do what he does best and get after the quarterback."
On Monday, Ford said he expects to be on a pitch count against the Detroit Lions this weekend. He and the team's other defensive-line bookend,
Nick Bosa, also returning from injury, look to once again create a formidable pass-rushing combination off the edges.
"Like any injury, we're going to start with a pitch count, a standard for any injury,"
Ford told reporters. "My role is to do what they brought me here to do—make big plays."
Ford sounds confident, and that bodes well for the Niners.
ESPN also picked a breakout candidate for the Bay Area team. That would be second-year wideout
Brandon Aiyuk, who amassed 748 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns on 60 receptions through 12 games while adding two rushing touchdowns.
"Aiyuk flashed plenty of potential as a rookie, but he played in only 12 games because of an early hamstring injury and a late stint on the COVID-19 list," wrote Wagoner. "A bulked-up Aiyuk established himself as a favorite target of all San Francisco quarterbacks during camp, catching almost everything thrown his way -- save for a couple of hiccups in preseason games. With a full offseason under his belt, Aiyuk has all the ingredients to become the Niners' No. 1 wideout."
The biggest storyline this season might be at quarterback, though. The 49ers traded up to the No. 3 overall pick to select Trey Lance as veteran Jimmy Garoppolo's eventual successor. Garoppolo is slated to start Week 1 and could hold onto the job if he stays healthy and plays well.
Of course, eyes will remain on Garoppolo's mentee, Lance. When will he finally get onto the field, finalizing the team's transition from Garoppolo?
ESPN predicts that will happen during Week 11 while noting that predicting the timeline was difficult due to Garoppolo's injury history. The reasoning behind the selection has to do with the 49ers' opponents exiting the bye week.
"A change for Week 7 is plausible, but the Niners should have a winning record going into that game," noted Wagoner. "Out of the bye week, the Niners play the Colts, Bears, Cardinals and Rams, which could bring some bumps and bruises -- setting the stage for Lance to take over. Lance will have played plenty situationally by then, and things should have slowed down enough for him to take the controls for what the Niners hope is a stretch run to the postseason."
That Week 11 matchup, by the way, is a road game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. That might present the perfect opportunity for the rookie's first start.
With the 2024 NFL Draft less than a week away, it's common for the rumor mill to start churning, especially with players who are actively seeking a new contract. It was just two short years ago that WR Deebo Samuel requested a trade from the San Francisco 49ers prior to draft day, only for cooler heads to prevail and eventually agree to a new deal.
Now, it's WR Brandon Aiyuk's turn to try and get paid and rumors surfaced over the weekend that he too would request to be dealt. While that report was quickly shot down by his agent, there's still a lot of discussion about Aiyuk's future and if other teams will come calling on draft night.
Legendary columnist Mike Silver joined
Ian Rapoport didn't offer much of an update on the ongoing contract negotiations between the San Francisco 49ers and their standout wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk. However, the NFL insider emphasized one thing: The team is not entertaining trade discussions at this juncture.
Reacting to Aiyuk's decision to unfollow the 49ers on Instagram, Rapoport couldn't help but chuckle at the latest development. This practice has become commonplace among players who are unhappy with their contract situations. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel similarly took this action in 2022 before requesting to be traded just before the draft.
Things have yet to escalate that far with Aiyuk, but Rapoport sees his
According to Sports Illustrated contributor Noah Strackbein, who writes for "All Steelers" on the network, there's a level of confidence within the Pittsburgh Steelers organization that they can strike a deal for San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk—and at a bargain rate.
"According to a team source, the Steelers and 49ers trade talks are real," Strackbein wrote. "While nothing is imminent, they 'would be surprised if it didn't happen.' But it all comes down to compensation, and Pittsburgh isn't willing to budge much on price."
While it seems unlikely that the 49ers would part ways with Aiyuk for anything less than a first-round draft
A questionable rumor surfaced on Wednesday regarding the Pittsburgh Steelers' interest in San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. Sports Illustrated contributor Noah Strackbein reported that the AFC team was seemingly confident they could pull off a trade for Aiyuk.
However, the credibility of this report comes into question due to the assertion that the Steelers believe they could acquire Aiyuk at a bargain price, possibly in exchange for a second-round draft pick and a late-round selection.
RELATED: Steelers believe they can acquire Aiyuk at a
