NFL
By: Joe Cardoso
Last season did not end the way the San Francisco 49ers wanted on a cold day in Philadelphia losing the NFC Championship game against the Eagles. Rookie sensation Brock Purdy was injured and heading into the offseason needed a new defensive coordinator with the Houston Texans grabbing DeMeco Ryans for its head coaching job.
Quarterback:
A lot of improvement is made in the offseason and with his elbow injury how much improvement if any could he have done? And if he is the starter when healthy who is his backup? Based on what I saw last year is it even a question Purdy is the clear-cut number one? Will he start out camp on the PUP list? Now I will say that I feel Trey Lance has not gotten a fair shot yet to show what he can do. Getting on the field for red zone plays and starting a game in a monsoon isn’t enough.
And as if things weren’t spicy enough the Niners sign former first-round pick Sam Darnold who was a bust with the Jets and up and down with the Carolina Panthers. His history is messy playing for the New York Jets (2018-20) and Carolina Panthers (2021-22) saw him play for four coaches and five offensive coordinators. Not what I would call stable. Has he had enough time to truly learn the Kyle Shanahan offense? Did the ghosts travel to California with him or has he put that in his past and ready to show the promise most saw when he came out of USC. Trey Lance has all the cards in his favor to get a shot at being under center in week 1 and showing why John Lynch moved up to grab him. Step one is staying healthy and throwing a more accurate ball. After this upcoming training camp, he won’t have an excuse as to why he isn’t the 49ers QB1.
Offensive Line:
With the Denver Broncos grabbing right tackle Mike McGlinchey and leaving a hole on the line. Instead of making a huge splash in free agency they kept it in-house and will give Colton McKivitz a starting shot. The former 5th-round pick has shown enough in his few starts and his fight is a big plus. Another name to remember is Spencer Burford another 5th-rounder who has played but struggled a bit and needs to raise his level of play. His stats from last season aren’t the best as he ranked 65th among guards in pass protection and 79th in win rate in the run game. In case he isn’t up for the challenge the Niners brought in veteran Jon Feliciano to add depth. In an era where edge rushers and exotic blitz packages are all the rage a solid line is a must and can derail any Super Bowl hopes. With a quarterback coming back from injury and two who have had some pretty random careers, they have to get this part right.
Kicker:
Unless something happens during camp the Robbie Gloud era is over and a new leg needs to emerge. The first person to get a crack at it is Jake Moody, who was picked in the 3rd round out of Michigan and he has a leg. Those west coast winds shouldn’t be an issue for him at all. But then again he is a rookie and we all know what that means in a 17-week season. And unlike some players, he needs to come out of the gates hot or he will find himself on the bench or unemployed. He did show some shakiness from 50 yards plus at his time in Ann Arbor hopefully, those tough times are over for him and this team. Special teams always come into play during the season so this is a position not to take lightly.
New D Coordinator:
The real gang of the Niner Gang is this defense and with Steve Wilks now calling the shots what changes could we see? He had the Panthers defense last year performing at a top-15 level and now he has a boatload of talented hungry dudes looking to make big plays. He can not want to show that it’s his defense so bad that he makes too many changes and hurts what he already has. If he keeps things simple and only makes minor tweaks he will see his name right back in the head coach searches.
With expectations being HIGH for the San Francisco 49ers these are just a few of the questions I have heading into training camp. All of us will start to get answers on July 26th in Santa Clara and the position battles and surprises pop up. Get ready for the season with some new gear from our friends over at the NFL Shop. I will be talking 49ers all season long. Let’s get this thing started!
