The seven-man pass protection in today's NFL seems a little foreign, considering how much the tight end position has evolved over the last 20 years. Today's hybrid tight end, a man built from DNA spliced from a sprinter, basketball player and professional wrestler, has an integral role in the passing attack. A generation ago, San Francisco 49ers tight end Brent Jones finished his career averaging 36.3 receiving yards per game. Flash twenty-five years in the future and tight end George Kittle is averaging 65.4 yards per game over his first three seasons. Head coach Kyle Shanahan's system is firmly rooted in the West Coast Offense, even mimicking some of Bill Walsh's old...

In 2019, the 49ers fielded one of the very best offenses in the NFL. Come this fall, the 49ers offense will be even better. This past season the 49ers ranked 4th in the league in total yards, 2nd in the league in rushing yards and 2nd in the league in points per game. Truth be told, there isn't much room for improvement. Or is there? While they could only improve slightly in league ranking, they certainly can improve in terms of overall production heading into Kyle Shanahan's fourth year as head coach/offensive play-caller. In Super Bowl 54 it was apparent that the 49ers needed just a little bit more. Clinging to a 20-10 lead with just over 7 minutes to go, the 49ers failed to answer the bell rung by Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. With these few key changes made...

The 49ers are in prime position to make another Super Bowl run this upcoming 2020 season, and many believe the team has the potential to become a dynasty for years to come. However, with 35 players set to become free agents (including 27 unrestricted) on top of looming salary cap issues, the certainty of the future is unknown. Given the Super Bowl window often closes faster than expected, here are the top ten 2021 49er free agents the team must re-sign in order to keep that window open beyond this season: 10) OL Daniel Brunskill – Brunskill has a legitimate shot at becoming the starting right guard on the 49ers offense and is especially good in the run game. Even if he loses the starting spot to Tom Compton, Brunskill's ability to play several positions...

The San Francisco 49ers and star tight end George Kittle are currently working on a contract extension. The two sides have been for awhile. No one outside of the franchise knows how close the two sides are. What is known is the type of money Kittle is seeking. Kittle wants to be paid like a top offensive tackle or wide receiver. His agent went public with this info nearly a month ago. Since then there has been silence from both sides. They could be far apart. Heck, they could have already agreed considering the team managed to keep DeForest Buckner's permission to seek a trade and head coach Kyle Shanahan's extension secrets for MONTHS. It wouldn't be surprising if they aren't close however. This is because the 49ers hold every ounce of leverage in this situation...

For the first time since the Jim Harbaugh era, the 49ers roster is loaded with talent. Come September 5th, all NFL teams will have to reduce their roster sizes from 90 to 53 players. The 49ers will inevitably have to move on from an abundance of quality players, many of whom are more than capable of making an impact on an NFL roster. With that being said, low-end teams will be flocking to the waiver wire to see which players weren't quite good enough to make this stacked San Francisco team. The 49ers would be wise to find trade partners for these five players, as opposed to cutting them outright: #1) C.J. Beathard - Quarterback: C.J. Beathard is not a quarterback who has a lot of value. If Beathard were to be traded, I'd expect...

Richard Sherman was one of the most hated opponents in 49ers history. Currently, Richard Sherman is one of the most beloved members of the 49ers roster. So much has changed since the loudmouth, superstar cornerback took a dinner meeting with Kyle Shanahan a little over two years ago. Back then, the 49ers were coming off of a 6-10 season, ending the year with a 5-game winning streak led by newly acquired QB Jimmy Garoppolo. Expectations were high, the 49ers were a media darling and Jimmy Garoppolo was heralded as the next great QB. The addition of Richard Sherman shocked the football world and set the bar even higher for the once great franchise. Two years later, the 49ers are coming off of a heartbreaking Super Bowl loss. Although he faltered in the final moments of Super...

Despite there being no preseason football at the moment, NFL teams are not immune to the injury bug. Second-year wideout Deebo Samuel suffered a foot fracture during a throwing session on June 18th. The initial timetable for his return is 12-16 weeks, however, Samuel believes he will be back in 10 weeks in time for the regular season to start. For starters, this injury can't be shrugged off as no big deal. It is a big deal. Deebo Samuel came into his own during the second half of the 2019 season, shortly after Emmanuel Sanders was signed. He was probably the biggest contributor in the passing game down the stretch and in the playoffs, while consistently gaining large chunks of yardage on end-arounds. He will be needed in order to fill the void left in the wake of Sanders...

With the news of Kyle Shanahan's six-year extension through 2025, let's take a look at the San Francisco 49ers head coach's running scheme since it will be around for a while. After looking through his vast repertoire of running plays, it's easy to conclude that there are so many subtleties that contribute to a play's success. Whether those are blockers understanding their assignments, window dressing, or running different plays from the same looks, they were a recipe for success in 2019. The 49ers finished second in both total rushing yards (2,305) and rushing yards per game (144.1) behind the Baltimore Ravens, who were aided by a historic season from quarterback Lamar Jackson. San Francisco running backs Tevin Coleman, Matt Breida, Raheem Mostert, and even Jeff Wilson, Jr....

There has been a lot of attention surrounding the 49ers' young wide receiver group this offseason. Much of the discussion has been focused on the emerging leadership from 2019 rookie standout, Deebo Samuel, the excitement of the explosive first-round pick, Brandon Aiyuk, and the dedication of Kendrick Bourne, who has been working hard this offseason to improve his craft. The San Francisco 49ers wide receiver group is young, talented, and its members all understand that there will be opportunities to earn a key role in Kyle Shanahan's offensive system. In 2019, the 49ers offense relied on a strong running game, where they were 2nd in the NFL in team rushing with 2,305 yards with 498 attempts. Through the air, they were just 17th in the NFL in passing, with 4,029 yards with...

Continuing Nick Newman's Power Rankings at Wide Receiver, here's how the 49ers defensive linemen stack up against each other. Tier 1: Superstars 1. Nick Bosa Hard to argue this one. Just take a look at the accolades for the rookie sensation: AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year PFWA Rookie of the Year 9 Sacks, 1 FF, 1 INT, 16 TFL Most pressures ever by a rookie (69) #41 on PFF's Top 50 Players No. 41 on the PFF50:Nick Bosa...

The 49ers will be a Super Bowl contender in 2020. The question is, will 2020 be the final year the 49ers are a Super Bowl contender? The recent talk around George Kittle's contract extension has opened the eyes of many of the 49ers Faithful. While the 49ers' talent is long, their money is short. The 49ers are squeezed up against the cap in 2020, having an estimated cap space of just above $15 million without any rookies signed at this time. Jimmy Garoppolo, Trent Williams, Dee Ford, and Richard Sherman combine for a near $70 million cap hit. The 2020 NFL salary cap is $198 million. To break that down, four players take up over 35% of the 49ers' total salary cap for 2020. Ouch. What does this mean for the other 49 players on the 53-man roster? Among those other...

Too often, a new coach press conference is full of bluster. This new leadership will increase win totals and playoff appearances, and ultimately fill the stadium to the brim with fans. These promises often remain empty, and fans are begging for another fresh start after two or three losing seasons. Over three years ago, Jed York, Kyle Shanahan, and John Lynch emerged from behind a soda machine in the 49ers' press room. Camera shutters fired like gentle machine guns as the stage settled and creaked. The scene had become commonplace at 4949 Centennial Boulevard. The San Francisco 49ers had just finished the 2016 season with two wins and were in a freefall into the depths of pro football mockery. Another lousy season meant another new...

The 49ers currently have 12 wide receivers on their roster. This is a prediction as to where each receiver will land in the pecking order, as the 2020 season approaches. #1) Deebo Samuel Analysis: Deebo Samuel is the clear cut number one receiver. Samuel is coming off a phenomenal rookie season, where he played in 18 of the 49ers' 19 games. Over the course of those 18 games, Samuel caught 67 balls for 929 yards and three touchdowns. Samuel added 261 yards on the ground and three more touchdowns, on only 20 carries. That amounts to nearly 1,200 yards from scrimmage, and 14 yards per touch. Those numbers are even more impressive considering that Samuel's first breakout performance didn't come until Week 10, which was the...

Last season, the 49ers initial 53-man roster broke down like this on the offensive side: 3 quarterbacks 4 running backs 7 wide receivers 4 tight ends 8 offensive linemen The makeup of the offensive side of the ball from a roster-building perspective probably won't deviate much from last season. The NFL and NFL Player's Association negotiated a new Collective Bargaining Agreement over the offseason. One of the changes from a roster standpoint is the increase in the active game-day roster, from 46 players to 48 players (as long as one of the extra two players is an offensive lineman). So one change that you may see from last season is nine offensive linemen. This would mean there would have to be a reduction in...

Last summer the 49ers were considered an ascending team by many, but very few expected their development to amount to a Super Bowl berth. Fast forward a year, and the expectations for the 49ers should be nothing less than the team winning its 6th Vince Lombardi Trophy in franchise history. The 49ers must go all out to win the Super Bowl this year, and here is why: Entering the 2020 season, the team is loaded with a complete roster. On both sides of the ball, there are high-quality NFL players at the vast majority of starting spots. Most importantly, there is above-average talent at the most important positions. The NFL is a passing league, making the following positions vital to a team's success: quarterback, offensive tackle, edge...

With a limited amount of cap space heading into free agency, the San Francisco 49ers were forced to be sellers rather than buyers on the open market. This required general manager John Lynch to make some tough decisions, most notably trading DeForest Buckner and letting Emmanuel Sanders walk. The organization was able to find successors through the NFL Draft, but that also means the team will be counting on a handful of young players to be successful in year one. With a few newcomers set to play significant roles, it begs the question of which ones are the most important? Of course, every player on the roster is important and this isn't to say that the others are insignificant, but some rookies will bear more weight on their shoulders than others. Here is a look...

49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was 2 yards, or fewer, away from being named Super Bowl LIV MVP. That's how far he overthrew wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders for an easy touchdown in the 4th quarter. If Sanders was just a little bit faster, or if Garoppolo's throw had a little less behind it, the narratives surrounding the 49ers and their starting quarterback this offseason would be drastically different. As it is, Garoppolo has faced a barrage of analysis, articles, and tweets questioning whether he is a good starting quarterback, let alone a great one. All of this chatter has come after a season in which he guided his team to a 13-3 record, completed 69.1% of his passes (4th in the NFL), threw 27 touchdowns (5th) and 13 interceptions, and 8.4...

George Kittle is one of the best players the 49ers have had over the last twenty years. Just 3 seasons into his NFL career and it isn't a stretch to state that Kittle is the very best tight end who has ever played for the franchise. Why then, is there even a thought being given to trading George Kittle? On Friday evening word began to circulate via NFL Network's Michael Silver that Kittle's agent Jack Bechta is aiming for his client to get paid, not like the best tight end in football, but as something much larger than that. According to Silver the 49ers and Kittle "are not close" to a deal. This is no surprise as any follower of Kittle knows that his value extends well beyond...

There will be no magical "clinch by an inch" moment for the 49ers in 2020. 49ers fans will not have to hold their breaths, feel their hearts stop and then be overwhelmed by joy due to some legendary play made by a man draped in scarlet and white. When San Francsico LB Dre Greenlaw created one of the truly great moments in 49ers history last December by flattening Seahawks TE Jacob Hollister at the goal line on 4th down during the final game of the 2019 NFL season the stakes could not have been higher. In 2020 the 49ers will not wait until Week 17 to prove who is the best in the West. By the time the 49ers host Seattle the biggest question a 49ers fan will have will be: start or sit? I don't view the 49ers as an unstoppable force heading into the 2020 season. The truth is, the...

Over the past couple of weeks, NFL insiders and fans have been engaged in a heated debate about whether former 49er, Frank Gore, belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. While most agree that Gore will eventually be honored in Canton, there are those who believe his enshrinement will be due to his longevity and inflated statistics. These critics will argue that Frank Gore has never been able to establish himself as a dominant running back at any point in his career, and even though he has always been a consistently good running back, he has never been...