The 49ers may be giving themselves a distinct advantage in an offseason that may see a significant warping of its schedule to comply with ongoing shutdowns aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19.
With the annual NFL draft party already cancelled in Las Vegas, the league has now shut down all team facilities with relatively few exceptions. That means offseason workouts, which were supposed to start April 6 for teams with new head coaches, and April 20 for all other teams, are likely to be pushed back at best. They’ll either be truncated or eliminated at worst.
In the event that the offseason program is either shortened or eliminated, the 49ers will have a built-in advantage going into the year. They’ve gone about free agency by trying to maximize the continuity on their roster. With the exception of a couple positions, San Francisco is set to return their starting lineups on both sides of the ball.
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Emmanuel Sanders will need a replacement, as will DeForest Buckner. There’ll be a new starting right guard as well, but that spot might easily be replaced with an internal candidate.
Bringing back largely the same group will allow the 49ers to minimize the amount of time they need to spend familiarizing new players with their new teammates and new systems. They’ll instead be among the teams able to hit the ground running with only minor changes from the year prior.
Perhaps the biggest roadblock for the 49ers will be integrating rookies into the fold. With two first-round picks, including one in the top 15, there’s a strong possibility they aim to fill a couple of their new starting spots with first-year players.
Even if they’re ready to start in the NFL from a talent standpoint, the learning curve entering the league is steep. While they can study playbooks and watch film to get mentally ready, there’s a physical adjustment to be made against professional players that can’t be replicated without competing against them on the field.
The good news for the 49ers though is that their continuity should pay dividends relatively quickly. While some teams will be scrambling to make up time, San Francisco will be in a position to carry over a lot of what they did a season ago. Other teams will eventually make the adjustment throughout the season, but getting a head start and stealing a couple games early just by being better prepared when the season does start could be the difference in winning the division or missing the playoffs.
Keeping most of their Super Bowl roster around was always going to be an offseason goal for the 49ers, but now that mission has an added benefit that could be the catalyst for another postseason run.