The 49ers in 2020 will return largely the same group of players they took to the Super Bowl last season. It stands to reason that most of last year’s key players will again emerge as essential pieces for San Francisco on both sides of the ball.
There are a handful of players from last year’s roster though that could wind up making a bigger impact in 2020 than they did in 2019. Despite the fact they’ll return most of their stars, the 49ers will need some additional players to step into larger roles next season to repeat a deep playoff run. Here are five players that could wind up securing bigger roles:
WR Dante Pettis
This seems inconceivable given how Pettis’ second NFL season went. He caught just 11 passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns in a year where he was supposed to emerge as a No. 1 receiver. In fact, he fell so far out of the rotation that he wasn’t even active for the Super Bowl.
It’s easy to just give up on the former second-round pick, but he flashed enough toward the end of his rookie year to provide some optimism that he can be a contributor in a good receiving corps. It’s a make-or-break third season for Pettis, who’ll go into the year battling for a roster spot. If he responds well to that challenge, he could emerge as a reliable target in a receiving corps that desperately needs a playmaker or two to step up.