It's always interesting to hear what former San Francisco 49ers players think about the current team. This week, the No Huddle Podcast crew had the privilege of speaking with former 49ers running back Ricky Watters, who was part of the squad that won Super Bowl 29.
What does Watters think about the roster that head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch built in Santa Clara? He is clearly impressed with the job they have done bringing in talent and admits to loving watching the team play.
"When you talk about [RB Christian] McCaffrey, this guy came halfway in the season," Watters told hosts Brian Renick, Al Sacco, and Zain Naqvi. "He showed everything he could do in half a season, and that was a lot. He threw a touchdown. He caught a touchdown, right? He ran. Man, the run he had against the Philadelphia Eagles, that showed what he's made of right there.
"And to have him, and to have [WR] Deebo [Samuel], where he could come in and spell these guys, and he can even run. I wouldn't run him that much because we don't want to get that got hurt, but I love getting the ball in his hands, obviously."
While McCaffrey and Samuel are two of the more versatile 49ers offensive weapons, the team has no shortage of skilled players at other positions on that side of the ball.
"And then you talk about [TE George] Kittle," Watters continued. "You talk about Kittle and those guys, that's somebody else, they can—boom. You can do end around with him. You could do the draws."
Shanahan has plenty of options at his disposal. The addition of McCaffrey seemingly turned things around for the 49ers last season. The team won 12 of its 14 games following the trade that sent the star running back from the Carolina Panthers to the Niners.
"I love Christian and the way he plays, and I just feel like, the way they're used, it's hard to stop this team," Watters shared. "They have so many weapons, and they can hit you in so many different angles. And Kyle Shanahan is like a mastermind of using these guys.
"I love watching them play. I do. And they remind me of how we played because we were kind of that same type of offense where you don't know who's going to get the ball, you don't know where we're going to hit you next and how hard we're going to hit you. We might get a turnover, and right the next play, we might go to the bomb and hit Jerry Rice on you. You never know what's going to happen.
"So I love this team right now. I love the way they play, and I'm looking forward to seeing how they play this year, especially with McCaffrey having been there all year. Now he's going to have a whole offseason."
The 49ers await word on Brock Purdy's recovery from surgery to repair his right elbow's tear of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL). The second-year quarterback is expected to begin throwing again in June, possibly being healthy enough to play sometime in September, assuming his recovery goes well.
Purdy took over for an injured Jimmy Garoppolo on December 4, leading the 49ers to eight consecutive wins before sustaining his injury in the NFC Championship Game.
"No one expected him to be there, and [to have him] take this team to where he took them last year was just amazing," Watters said. "But I think he can do even better with another year, as long as he heals up and everything's right. Brock Purdy, I think he's going to do well."
