NFL
The 49ers’ Offense is Healthy and Loaded With Talent
Let’s cut to the chase: few teams in the NFL have the amount of offensive talent at their disposal as the San Fransisco 49ers do. Now, 2018 wasn’t exactly a great year for the 49ers’ offense. In fact, it was a very lackluster year, as the team ranked 16th in total yards and 21st in scoring. These numbers don’t exactly scream breakout offense, do they?
However, injuries played a huge role in stymieing the 49ers’ offense. Both quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and running back Jerick McKinnon fell to ACL injuries by Week 3 of the season. The losses left San Francisco without key starters at vital positions. With that said, here is why the 49ers’ offense will flourish in 2019.
Jimmy Garoppolo Returns to a Bevy of Weapons
Things didn’t exactly pan out for Jimmy Garoppolo in 2018. Being a former Tom Brady “understudy” with a limited, yet remarkable body of work made him an intriguing player approaching the 2018 season. Unfortunately, just three games into the season, Garoppolo blew out his knee and saw his 2018 campaign come to and end. While disappointing, Garoppolo now returns as a potential comeback player of the year candidate, thanks to the many offensive weapons lining up alongside him.
After posting over 1,000 total yards from scrimmage in 2017, wide receiver Marquise Goodwin was expected to have a huge role in the offense in 2018. However, like so many of his teammates, injuries mitigated the receiver’s impact throughout the season. Luckily for Goodwin, he will still play an important role in the offense in 2019. Head coach Kyle Shanahan is expected to employ the receiver in a Taylor Gabriel-like role this season. And believe me, the Niners offensive prospects only get brighter as you go down the list.
Tip of the Iceberg
All of this “breakout” talk is a perfect segue into the complete destruction of NFL defenses in 2018 by 49ers’ tight end George Kittle. Kittle piled on 1,377 receiving yards in 2018, breaking the record for most receiving yards in a season by a tight end — a record previously held by Travis Kelce (for about an hour). The already-established Hawkeye alum figures to be the centerpiece of the offense in 2019.
Explosive 2018 second-round pick Dante Pettis will also demand a huge role in the offense in 2019. Notice a pattern here? Pettis averaged 17.3 yards per catch and scored five touchdowns in 2018.
Additionally, rookie second-round pick Deebo Samuel features all the talent necessary to be a Percy Harvin-type receiver for the 49ers. Wide receivers Jordan Matthews, Trent Taylor, and rookie third-rounder Jalen Hurd also make convincing cases for big roles in the offense. The amount of depth this 49ers team has is absurd — and a (hopefully) healthy Jimmy Garoppolo will flourish with these weapons.
A Key Offseason Addition Provides Competition in the Trenches
The 49ers may have the best duo of offensive tackles in the league. That being said, however, they failed to meet the billing last season — as interior pass protection became a nightmare for the 49ers. The guard duo of Mike Person and Laken Tomlinson, as well as center Weston Richburg, gave up a combined 98 pressures on the year. The offensive line unit as a whole allowed the third-most quarterback hits of any in the league.
Richburg gave up the third-most pressures of any center in the NFL with 33. Notably, though, Richburg played with a nagging knee injury throughout the season. The injury surely limited the former-New York Giant in effective pass protection.
Heading into the 2019 season, the 49ers’ offensive line is shaping into a proper force. The Niners added free agent Ben Garland to the team to spark competition for the guard position. Garland appeared in 14 games for the Falcons in 2018, starting in four. The acquisition provides another option at the guard position, as guards Laken Tomlinson and Mike Person struggled mightily in 2018. Nevertheless, the weakest position on the 49ers’ offense will now have added depth going into this season.
The 49ers’ Backfield is Loaded
Just when you thought the versatility of the wide receiver depth chart couldn’t be topped, take a look at the crop of running backs the 49ers boast in 2019. While San Francisco doesn’t exactly need extra pass catchers, Tevin Coleman, Jerick Mckinnon, and fullback Kyle Juszczyk have all proven they can be huge threats in the passing game from the backfield. Juszczyk had 30 catches for the 49ers in 2018, while Tevin Coleman pulled in five receiving touchdowns. Jerrick Mckinnon had 50+ catches and 400+ yards in his last season on the gridiron.
Running backs Matt Breida and Tevin Coleman combined for 1,614 rushing yards in their 2018 season. Now, the backs will play on the same team. Raheem Mostert only managed 34 carries in 2018, yet was able to average a whopping 7.7 yards per carry. The San Francisco backfield looks to be just as explosive as the receiving corps, if not more.
Recap
Mostert wraps up a collection of skill players that is as injury-proof as a team can be. With so many capable skill players vying for touches, it’s hard to envision how the offense will shape up. How will the carries be split between Coleman and Breida? Will San Francisco employ two tight end packages to utilize Garrett Celek? What will Juszczyk’s role be in the offense in 2019? How will the 49ers utilize offensive rookie Jalen Hurd?
The opportunities are endless for such a loaded offense. A crop of offensive talent like this will surely need a multitude of offensive packages. Expect offensive-mastermind Kyle Shanahan to develop some unorthodox ways to get all of the offensive talent involved. The result will be an explosive offense that will surely shake up the entire league.
Written by Khadeem Dennis
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