The 49ers entered the offseason with roster continuity among their main objectives. They even traded defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to free up cap space to re-sign other key players like free safety Jimmie Ward and defensive lineman Arik Armstead. The result of San Francisco’s offseason moves leaves them with only three open starting jobs going into camp. They’ll also have a new left tackle, Trent Williams, after Joe Staley announced his retirement on Day 3 of the draft.
Continuity is always a strength for teams coming off deep playoff runs, but the COVID-19 pandemic has truncated the offseason in such a way that less roster turnover will be a significant advantage for teams early in the year.
According to ESPN, the 49ers have the fourth-best roster continuity in the NFL, and the best in the NFC.
Here are the top-five teams in percentage of snaps returning in 2020 per ESPN:
1. Buffalo Bills (88.0 percent)
2. Kansas City Chiefs (84.7 percent)
3. Indianapolis Colts (82.7 percent)
4. San Francisco 49ers (82.6 percent)
5. Pittsburgh Steelers (82.4 percent)
This bodes well for the 49ers moving into a year where their offseason practice time is limited. Most of their lost snaps came from Joe Staley and DeForest Buckner. They replaced Staley with seven-time Pro Bowler Trent Williams who knows Kyle Shanahan’s offense well, and they replaced Buckner with No. 14 overall pick Javon Kinlaw. While the questions remain about whether they’ll play well in San Francisco, adding premium talent to fill their two biggest holes could mitigate even more of the adversity teams face while replacing key starters.
The AFC still matters for an NFC team with Super Bowl aspirations, but the positive impact of continuity typically wears away as the season moves forward and teams catch up to the curve. This is the case every season with good teams playing their best football late. A shortened offseason may amplify the usual curve though.
Teams with better continuity should see their biggest advantages early in the year. That’s when San Francisco’s lead in this area could give them a shot to the the ground running and get a leg up in the race for the NFC’s top seed.
Here are the top-five teams by continuity in the conference:
1. San Francisco 49ers (82.6 percent)
2. New Orleans Saints (79.1 percent)
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (78.8 percent)
4. Green Bay Packers (78.1 percent)
5. Chicago Bears (73.5 percent)
The Saints’ came in at No. 7 overall. The Buccaneers are No.9, the Packers are No. 11, and the Bears are just outside the top half at No. 17.
There’s a chance a lot of NFC teams struggle out of the gate, even if the league takes away two preseason games to open a larger preseason practice window. With an additional playoff team in the mix and only one team from each conference getting a bye, those early games for the 49ers are going to be key in the battle for a No. 1 seed.
San Francisco went into the offseason aiming for continuity, and that goal may wind up being the biggest factor in their quest to become just the ninth team to return to the Super Bowl after losing it.
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