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After what's seemed like an endless offseason, the San Francisco 49ers are finally ready to kickoff their exhibition slate. Like any team that's rebuilding, the Niners face a myriad of questions throughout the entire roster. But while the defense seems to have some promising cornerstone pieces in place, the other side of the ball is a complete mystery. Here are five burning questions facing the San Francisco offense in 2016.
1) Who's the quarterback?
When l look at
Colin Kaepernick and
Blaine Gabbert, I see two quarterbacks headed in different directions. After taking the league by storm in 2012, Kaepernick has seen his career go off the rails the past two seasons, and has regressed as a passer. In his last 13 starts, Kaepernick has thrown for 174 yards or less in nine of them, and the team averaged a league worst 14.38 points per game. Not surprisingly, the Niners are 3-10 during that span. It seems like the more Kaepernick is asked to do, the worse he gets.
On the other side is Gabbert, who improved dramatically last season from the non-functional player we saw with the Jacksonville Jaguars. In eight games last year, Gabbert threw for 2,031 yards, completed 63.1 percent of this throws and had a TD/INT ratio of 10/7. By comparison,
Brock Osweiler threw for less yards (1,976), had a lower completion percentage (61.8) and also had 10 touchdown throws in eight games of his own with the Denver Broncos. Osweiler, who is only a year younger than Gabbert, saw his performance get him a $72 million free agent contract with the Houston Texans.
Those in Gabbert's camp would argue that if he can improve under
Jim Tomsula and
Geep Cryst that he could absolutely continue to get better under
Chip Kellly. On the flip side, Kaepernick supporters would say that he's already shown he can play on the big stage, and he just needs a coach like Kelly to get him right again. Either way, the past is the past, and this competition will come down to whoever moves the offense better during the preseason games.
2) Is there anyone to throw to?
Other than
Anquan Boldin and (at times)
Michael Crabtree, the 49ers have actually struggled to find consistent receiving options since
Terrell Owens left town. 2016 looks to be another year of question marks as the there isn't a whole lot of proven production behind
Torrey Smith. While Smith can provide the big play, the Niners will need someone to help move chains.
Bruce Ellington is an option to keep an eye on, as he could be a target monster in the slot. Still, it's hard to put all your faith in someone who has 19 career receptions. The same can be said for
Quinton Patton, who has impressed in camp and looks to be the front runner to start opposite Smith on the outside. Patton saw career highs in targets (57), receptions (30) and yards (394) last season, but has yet to prove he can be a consistent starter in the league.
Jerome Simpson is a veteran presence, but he hasn't played meaningful snaps since 2013 while a member of the Minnesota Vikings. There are also youngsters like
DeAndre Smelter,
DeAndrew White and
Aaron Burbridge, but in reality you probably can't expect too much from them so early in their development (if at all).
3) Could the offensive line be better than people think?
Anyone saying the 49ers still have one of worst fronts in football simply isn't paying attention. Sure, the o-line was terrible for most of last season, but it started to show some promise when youngsters
Andrew Tiller and
Trent Brown were inserted late in the year. This season, the line looks to be deep and talented, as the additions of rookie
Joshua Garnett and the returning
Anthony Davis will go a long way in solidifying the once shaky unit.
Garnett (who was recently moved to left guard) and Davis are currently seeing snaps with the second team, but both should be promoted sooner than later. That would make your starting five from left to right,
Joe Staley, Garnett,
Daniel Kilgore (who may have been the team's best o-lineman before getting hurt in 2014), Tiller, and Davis. That means Brown and
Zane Beadles, both of whom looked like starters not too long ago, would headline a deep reserve group. The arrow is, without a doubt, pointing up in the trenches.
4) Can we put Carlos Hyde in bubble wrap?
While he only has 198 career carries, you wouldn't be wrong in saying that Hyde looks the part of a feature back. The 49ers are going to lean on their talented runner, and it's possible he'll get upwards of 350 touches in 2016 if he can stay healthy. That "if" is a big one though for a back who's already missed 11 games over his first two years in the league. It remains to be seen if Hyde will change his punishing running style, and attempt to avoid contact instead of trying to run through it.
If Hyde does miss time, the options behind him are a little scary.
Shaun Draughn and
DuJuan Harris are currently listed as Hyde's main backups, but neither has been able to stick with a team in the league for very long (although both playing well at times last year). Rookie
Kelvin Taylor and second-year runner
Mike Davis will have every opportunity to earn snaps, and both should get a long look in the preseason. Davis especially must show his worth, after only gaining 58 yards on 35 attempts in 2015 (and that was with a 13-yard gain mixed in there).
5) Will anyone separate themselves at tight end?
Did you know that
Vance McDonald,
Garrett Celek and
Blake Bell only have six more career receptions combined (82) than
Bruce Miller has all by himself (76). Moving Miller to tight end was a smart move by Kelly, who can still utilize the versatile former fullback in different packages. Still, no one knows how Miller will take to the position, or how many snaps he'll actually play. What the 49ers really need is someone to step up and show they can make plays in the passing game. McDonald developed a nice rapport with Gabbert last year and caught 23 passes in seven games. He'd only managed 17 receptions in 30 games with Kaepernick. Bell also came on a bit with Gabbert under center, pulling down 12 of his 15 catches with him. Celek is probably better suited as a blocker, but did have a career high in receptions (19), yards (186) and touchdowns (3) last season. Can anyone in this foursome separate themselves and become the undisputed starter?
Al Sacco has been covering the 49ers since 2013, and has had his work used by national outlets such as ESPN and USA TODAY. If you'd like to reach Al with a media request, please contact him via Twitter @AlSacco49
The undefeated Miami Dolphins' 70-20 win over the winless Denver Broncos has shot them to the top of multiple power rankings. However, for most, the San Francisco 49ers sit in the top spot.
Also undefeated and sitting atop the NFC West standings, the 49ers are coming off a 30-12 win over the New York Giants. The team is so well-rounded, and Brock Purdy continues to rack up the wins as the starting quarterback.
San Francisco has started the regular season 3-0 for the ninth time in franchise history and has now won 13 consecutive regular-season games dating back to Week 8 of last season. It's the longest active streak in the NFL and the second-longest winning streak in franchise
The San Francisco 49ers struggled to a .500 record in their first six games last season. Knowing that the talent was there, the team's decision-makers looked to make a move that could elevate the roster to a Super Bowl contender. That move was trading for running back Christian McCaffrey.
McCaffrey suited up in red and gold just two days after arriving in Santa Clara. His first start came the next week against the Los Angeles Rams. San Francisco won that game and the 11 that followed, reaching the NFC Championship Game for the third time in four seasons.
The decision to add yet another playmaker paid off.
"We really felt like Christian, already having [WR] Deebo [Samuel], having [WR Brandon] Aiyuk, having [TE George] Kittle, having [RB] Elijah
Usually, the San Francisco 49ers defense gets all the notoriety. However, with the Niners scoring 30 points per game, the offense is showing that it can be just as formidable.
Jauan Jennings has four receptions for 82 yards, which ranks fourth on the team behind Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and George Kittle. Jennings' 20.5 yards per reception lead the 49ers, and his 5.0 yards after the catch rank second among the team's wide receivers (Samuel, 7.9).
Jennings was recently asked to share how much fun the offense has been having this season while possibly stealing some of the spotlight from the team's tough defense.
"Now we out here shaking and baking, man," Jennings said via NBC Sports Bay Area. "That's what we do. We get in the end zone. I feel like
The San Francisco 49ers are holding two walkthroughs today, lighter work than a typical practice. The team did not practice on Monday, a day off for players, but estimated that wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk would not have participated had there been any on-field work.
Aiyuk and cornerback Ambry Thomas will be limited in today's sessions. The team is preparing for Thursday night's game against the New York Giants at Levi's Stadium.
On Sunday, Aiyuk was in and out of the lineup against the Los Angeles Rams. He suffered a shoulder injury on his first catch, a 13-yard reception during the 49ers' opening drive.
Aiyuk finished the game with three catches for 43 yards on six targets. The coach added that the receiver's status for Thursday will depend on the