San Francisco 49ers 2020 Season Preview
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The 49ers were the best team in the NFL last season.
At least, that’s what they tell themselves.
They believe they should have won the Super Bowl. Believe they gave it away during the final seven minutes. And they certainly did give it away. They had a 10-point lead with seven minutes left in the fourth quarter and lost by 11 to the Chiefs. It was the most painful defeat most 49ers ever will experience.
This season is their chance to rectify those seven minutes, to prove they’ve been the best team all along.
They didn’t overhaul their roster this offseason or make drastic changes. They could have signed Tom Brady, arguably the greatest quarterback of all time. He expressed interest in joining the 49ers after he left the Patriots. But, the 49ers kept Garoppolo and 20 of 24 starters on offense and defense. They wanted continuity.
They replaced DeForest Buckner and Emmanuel Sanders with rookies Javon Kinlaw and Brandon Aiyuk, respectively. Replaced right guard Mike Person with veteran Tom Compton. And replaced left tackle Joe Staley with all-time great Trent Williams.
The 49ers arguably are just as good if not better than they were last season, when they thought they were the best of the best.
Here’s what to know about the 2020 49ers:
OFFENSE
It could be shaky early on.
Starting center Weston Richburg could start the season on the Physically Unable to Perform List with a knee injury. His backup, Ben Garland, has an ankle injury. Starting wide receiver Deebo Samuel has a broken foot and could miss the first month of the season. And his backup, rookie Brandon Aiyuk, appeared to pull his hamstring Sunday during practice.
The 49ers may need to play lots of backups in September and maybe even October.
But by November at the latest, Richburg, Garland, Samuel and Aiyuk all should be healthy. And an offense than ranked second in points scored in 2019 could become even more dangerous.
The offensive line could be one of the best in the league when Richburg returns. He’s a good center in head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense. Williams is a Hall of Fame left tackle in any offense and should be a major upgrade over Staley, whose body began to break down last season.
Running back Jerick McKinnon has returned from missing the past two seasons with a torn ACL and looks terrific in training camp. He could catch 30 or 40 passes this season if he stays healthy.
Tight end George Kittle looks stronger than ever after signing a five-year extension with the 49ers. He should have another monster season.
And quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo seems more mobile than last season, when he was coming off a torn ACL and wore a big, bulky knee brace to protect his leg. Now, he doesn’t wear the brace anymore, and so he moves much better.
He also seems to make better decisions than last year, when he threw five interceptions on five consecutive passes in one day of training camp. This year, he has thrown only two picks in eight days. He seems much more experienced and mature.
DEFENSE
It’s the same defense that ranked second in points allowed last season, minus DeForest Buckner. The 49ers traded him to the Colts for a first-round pick, which the 49ers used on Buckner’s replacement -- defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw.
So far through eight days of camp, Kinlaw is no Buckner. Buckner came into the league a polished pass-rusher with a repertoire of moves. Kinlaw is not polished and does not have a repertoire -- he has one move, a bull rush. He’s still extremely big, athletic and talented, but he could take a few seasons to develop as a pass-rusher.
While Kinlaw develops, he might split time with Solomon Thomas, the third pick of the 2017 draft. Thomas has just six sacks in three seasons, but has played well in camp, particularly when he has played defensive tackle. The past few seasons the 49ers played him primarily at defensive end.
Linebacker Fred Warner looks bigger and faster than he did last season, He looks like an All Pro.
In the secondary, Richard Sherman still looks like Richard Sherman -- he’s the only person who has intercepted Garoppolo so far in camp.
Free safety Jimmie Ward looks more confident at free safety than last season, his first full season at free safety since entering the NFL. He could become the playmaker the 49ers thought he’d be when they took him in the first round of the 2014 draft.
And cornerback Jason Verrett has a legitimate chance to revive his career and start after appearing in just six games since 2015. Before he suffered a slew of leg injuries, Verrett was one of the best man-to-man coverage corners in the NFL. This season, new 49ers defensive backs coach Tony Oden seems to want to implement more man coverage into the 49ers zone-heavy defense. So Verrett is perfect for them if he’s healthy. So far, he seems healthy. Good news for the 49ers.
PREDICTED RECORD: 12-4
They’re not worse than last season, even though they were 13-3 in 2019. Last season, the 49ers faced lots of questionable quarterbacks: Kyle Allen, Mason Rudolph, Case Keenum. This season, the 49ers should face more legitimate starters. And the 49ers still should beat most of them.
EXPECTED DEPTH CHART
X-Receiver: Deebo Samuel, Dante Pettis
Z-Receiver: Kendrick Bourne, Brandon Aiyuk
Slot Receiver: Trent Taylor, Jauan Jennings
Left Tackle: Trent Williams, Justin Skule
Left Guard: Laken Tomlinson, Colton McKivitz
Center: Ben Garland, Daniel Brunskill
Right Guard: Tom Compton, Daniel Brunskill
Right Tackle: Mike McGlinchey, Daniel Brunskill
Tight end: George Kittle, Jordan Reed, Ross Dwelley, Charlie Woerner
Quarterback: Jimmy Garoppolo, Nick Mullens, C.J. Beathard
Running Back: Tevin Coleman, Raheem Mostert, Jerick McKinnon, Jeff Wilson Jr.
Fullback: Kyle Juszczyk
Left Defensive End: Arik Armstead, Dee Ford, Dion Jordan
Left Defensive Tackle: D.J. Jones, Solomon Thomas, Kentavius Street
Right Defensive Tackle: Javon Kinlaw, Kevin Givens
Right Defensive End: Nick Bosa, Kerry Hyder
Strong-Side Linebacker: Dre Greenlaw, Mark Nzeocha
Middle Linebacker: Fred Warner, Kwon Alexander
Weak-Side Linebacker: Kwon Alexander, Azeez Al-Shaair
Left Cornerback: Richard Sherman, Ahkello Witherspoon
Strong Safety: Jaquiski Tartt, Marcell Harris
Free Safety: Jimmie Ward, Tarvarius Moore
Right Cornerback: Jason Verrett, Emmanuel Moseley
Nickelback: K’Waun Williams, Jimmie Ward
Kicker: Robbie Gould
Punter: Mitch Wishnowsky
Long Snapper: Kyle Nelson
