Alex Smith is making progress

Jimmy Garoppolo is trying to fend off anyone from overtaking him on the depth chart — specifically, the No. 3 overall pick, Trey Lance. It sounds like he put in a solid effort during organized team activities, which ended today. The veteran quarterback will look to continue impressing his coaches in training camp at the end of July. Garoppolo is slated to be the San Francisco 49ers' starting quarterback when the team kicks off against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on September 12. Head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke with reporters today and expressed how pleased he is with Garoppolo's performance during the offseason program. "I think Jimmy had his best spring

The San Francisco 49ers didn't envision a six-win campaign coming off a Super Bowl appearance. Of course, they probably also couldn't have imagined the onslaught of injuries they would have to endure in 2020. And that was before being forced to relocate their entire operations to Arizona. The Niners would like to put last season behind them and hope for better luck in 2021. Even a relatively healthy roster should result in a much-improved season. Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated recently listed six losing teams from last season that will make the playoffs in 2021 (h/t to Kirk Larrabee). At the top of the list was San Francisco. It's not a bold statement,