3 Offseason Moves That are Paying Off Big for the 49ers

Starting the season 5-0 is a dream start for the San Francisco 49ers. Everyone has been clicking on all cylinders for them to be undefeated through five games.

However, I want to take this time to recognize the offseason additions the 49ers made. Many of them have performed well, but three offseason additions are paying off the most so far, starting with hiring Raheem Morris as defensive coordinator.

Raheem Morris for Robert Saleh

It's probably safe to say now that Morris is an upgrade over Robert Saleh. I know that Saleh was given an unfair shake with Nick Bosa and Fred Warner out last year.

Saleh had nothing to work with last year. However, the secondary he had is the same that Morris has, and Morris is getting way more out of this group than Saleh did.

It's not even close. That alone has been significant for the 49ers because they had promising players in the secondary. They just needed a coach to get the potential out of him, and so far, Morris is doing it.

There's a reason every defensive back spoke highly of Morris during training camp. They knew immediately that his scheme would help them.

Plus, Morris doesn't play a straightforward defense that Saleh likes. There's more trickery afoot with his defense, which is the cherry on top of how sweet an addition and upgrade he's been.

Signing Mike Evans

This was the most obvious, right? After the monstrous performance he had against the Seattle Seahawks, Mike Evans is clearly one of the best offseason additions for the 49ers.

The guy is a walking first down. Of his 24 catches this season, 22 of them have gone for a first down. That's insane. Not to mention that he's a goal-line nightmare for defensive backs.

All Brock Purdy has to do if he wants a touchdown or a first down is to throw it to Evans. He's somewhere down there, right?

Thanks to Evans, the 49ers have been more of a passing offense this year. It's helping alleviate the workload for Christian McCaffrey. The impact Evans is having has been sensational.

Drafting Gracen Halton

Injuries to Alfred Collins and C.J. West have granted rookie Gracen Halton a phenomenal opportunity to be a key player. But after his performance against the Seahawks, he's more than a key player – he's an impactful one.

Halton arguably had the play of the game when he forced a fumble and recovered it in the endzone to score a touchdown near the end of the first half.

Without that, the 49ers probably lose the game. He also registered a sack on Sam Darnold. Halton has been the best rookie on the 49ers. What a draft pick.

Follow Jose on X (Twitter) @JS3sanchezz and his YouTube channel to interact with him on the 49ers and more.

Add us as a preferred source on Google