49ers depth chart – Page 23 – Syndication Server

Projected 49ers 2020 starting lineup midway through free agency

The 49ers are bringing back a lot of their starters from last season, but some holes remain.

The 49ers set out to retain as much of their 2019 roster as possible heading into the 2020 season. That led to a relatively slow free agency period where a majority of their moves have been re-signing key depth players and a couple of defensive starters.

There are a few moves that’ll shake up what their starting lineup looks like going into the 2020 season. They traded away defensive tackle DeForest Buckner for a first-round pick, released starting right guard Mike Person, and let wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders exit to the Saints in free agency.

With free agency still open and the NFL draft still a month away, we went through the 49ers roster and made a way-too-early starting lineup projection. San Francisco ran 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end, three wide receivers) and 21 personnel (two running backs, one tight end, two wide receivers) about the same amount last year, so the lineup reflects both of those formations.

Quarterback

Jimmy Garoppolo

This is the easiest call on the list. Even with talks of a 49ers possible flirtation with Tom Brady, it’s hard to imagine they ever gave serious consideration to parting ways with the signal caller who took them to the Super Bowl in his first full season as a starter. With a full healthy offseason, Garoppolo should come back better next year.

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Report: 49ers to sign LB Joe Walker

The 49ers added some depth at linebacker with former Cardinals LB Joe Walker.

The 49ers on Monday began their second wave of offseason moves by adding some depth to their linebacking corps. They’re set to sign former Cardinals linebacker Joe Walker according to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero.

Walker joined the NFL as a seventh-round pick of the Eagles in the 2016 draft. He spent his first year in Philadelphia on IR with a torn ACL, then started three of the 12 games he played his second year. The Cardinals signed him off the Eagles’ practice squad the following season and he played 14 games in 2018, and started 11 of 16 games last year.

While the 49ers are set in their starting linebacker group, Walker has a ton of special teams experience and could wind up replacing Elijah Lee, who was non-tendered by San Francisco.

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49ers OL roster battle already developing

The 49ers have a fun roster battle on their hands already.

The 49ers’ list of roster battles during the offseason program and training camp won’t be very long considering they’re returning close to all of their starters on both sides of the ball. One clear position battle is already taking shape along the offensive line.

When San Francisco released right guard Mike Person, it opened up a vacancy on the offensive line with no surefire contingency plan. There’ll be a bona fide battle among several players to win that job.

Perhaps the leading candidate for the starting right guard job, Daniel Brunskill, signed his exclusive rights free agent tender on Friday. The former offensive tackle for the San Diego Fleet of the Alliance of American Football found a home last year in Santa Clara when he filled in at tackle and guard during the regular season, and played some center during the preseason. Brunskill is an impressive athlete with good versatility that could wind up earning him his first NFL starting job.

It won’t be easy for Brunskill though. Ben Garland also re-signed in San Francisco on a one-year deal. He’s another versatile lineman who can play all three interior spots, and earned himself a look with his play at center down the stretch last season filling in for Weston Richburg. There’s a chance the team strictly wants Garland to play center, but if he’s their best option at right guard, they wouldn’t hesitate to start him there and figure out a contingency plan for a Richburg injury later.

The 49ers added another candidate for the right guard job shortly after it was reported Person was gone. Tom Compton, a journeyman offensive lineman who’s been with five teams in his career and spent the last four years with four different teams, will also get a shot at the starting right guard job.

It’s also not out of the question that San Francisco uses a relatively early pick on an interior lineman that pushes all the veterans out of the running. This would probably be the ideal scenario. They’d be snagging a young talent for the offensive line, while allowing players like Brunskill, Garland and Compton to serve as high quality depth pieces.

Either way, having so many capable player up front is part of why the 49ers were able to win 13 games despite four of their five offensive line spots missing multiple games last season. If they can improve that depth after losing a starter in the offseason, the 49ers’ offense will be in great shape to have another good year up front.

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49ers roster recap: Questions surround wide receivers going into 2020

The 49ers have big question marks looming all over their group of wide receivers in 2020.

While the 49ers pieced together a good enough group of wide receivers to reach the Super Bowl a season ago, the position’s stability is still in question heading in to 2020.

With Emmanuel Sanders set for unrestricted free agency and a slew of unproven playmakers across the depth chart, San Francisco has some work to do to restore their receiving corps to a championship level.

With free agency and the draft still ahead in the offseason, let’s look at what the 49ers are dealing with at receiver:

Deebo Samuel, 24

Samuel became a go-to weapon for the 49ers’ offense late in the season. He was very good as a receiver, and churned out historic numbers on the ground. The big question with Samuel is whether there’s another level for him in Year 2. If he takes a step up – he can be the team’s No. 1 receiver. If he moves laterally or takes a step backward – they’ll need a significant upgrade at the other starting receiver spot.

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Jimmy Garoppolo gets strong vote of confidence from Kyle Shanahan

The 49ers aren’t going to cut Jimmy Garoppolo.

Jimmy Garoppolo’s poor fourth-quarter performance in Super Bowl 54 sparked questions about his viability as the 49ers’ franchise quarterback moving forward. Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Thursday skewered rumors of a split with Garoppolo during his post-season press conference.

Shanahan said the loss doesn’t squarely fall on Garoppolo’s shoulders and pointed out that he likely would’ve been the game’s MVP had the team not fallen apart at the end. Then Shanahan explained why he’s optimistic about his quarterback moving forward.

“I think Jimmy is one of the main reasons we got to the Super Bowl,” Shanahan said. “I think he overcame a lot. This was his first year in his career going through an entire NFL season. He still doesn’t have as many starts and stuff as (Browns QB) Baker Mayfield. I think he had a hell of a first year truly playing the position, especially coming off an ACL where you have to fight through that a ton as a quarterback, where your rhythm and everything is not there at the beginning of the year. For him to be like that and to not let the pressure get to him, and to improve as the year went, I think says a ton about Jimmy. I can’t tell you how much I loved coaching the guy as a player and as a person this year.”

Garoppolo tore his ACL in Week 3 of the 2018 season, but returned to start all 16 games in 2019. After a slow start, his productivity picked up over the back half of the season, and his comfort in the offense was apparent en route to guiding San Francisco to a 13-3 record and their first playoff trip since 2013.

After throwing just 27 passes in two playoff games leading up to the Super Bowl, questions started piling up about whether Shanahan trusted his quarterback. The importance of those two games certainly magnify Garoppolo’s relative absence in the offense and force fans to search for answers.

However, Garoppolo was among the best quarterbacks in the league statistically during the regular season. His 3,978 yards were the fourth-most ever by a 49ers quarterback. He also finished sixth in touchdown passes and third in yards-per-attempt among all quarterbacks in 2019.

The notion that San Francisco was going to move on from Garoppolo because of a half quarter of football was always ludicrous, but the strong vote of confidence from Shanahan moving into the offseason is a further indicator that he’ll be under center for San Francisco as they try and get back to the Super Bowl in 2020.

Ahkello Witherspoon says he’s starting Saturday vs. Vikings

The 49ers got one of their big defensive questions answered Wednesday.

The 49ers defense apparently has an answer to their biggest non-injury question going into the playoffs.

Cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon on Wednesday told reporters he’ll be starting across from Richard Sherman in the divisional round Saturday against the Vikings.

#49ers CB Ahkello Witherspoon was asked if he’s starting Saturday. “Yes,” he said.

— Chris Biderman (@ChrisBiderman) January 8, 2020

Witherspoon’s performance declined dramatically over the final three weeks of the season, and culminated in the third-year corner getting benched in favor of Emmanuel Moseley for the final drive against the Seahawks in Week 17. Moseley recorded a pass breakup against DK Metcalf to knock down what would’ve been the go-ahead touchdown.

Witherspoon declined to elaborate on why he was benched against Seattle.

Moseley, an undrafted second-year corner, started nine games early in the year while Witherspoon dealt with a foot strain. He played well in Witherspoon’s stead, but went back to the bench once Witherspoon was healthy.

It’ll be interesting to see how much leeway Witherspoon gets in the 49ers’ playoff game. Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh came to the young cornerback’s defense and said he didn’t play poorly against Seattle.

Witherspoon was having the best year of his career prior to the last few weeks, and his dip in production coincides with the decline of the 49ers’ pass rush. Dee Ford’s return should help immensely with that. Witherspoon will also get help with Jaquiski Tartt’s entry back into the starting lineup at strong safety.

Given how important communication is in the 49ers’ secondary, having the more experienced Witherspoon in the lineup for the playoffs is probably the correct move. However, Minnesota won’t hesitate to target him with their dynamic receiving corps. If he struggles early, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Moseley get some snaps.

49ers sign familiar DE, place Ronald Blair on IR

The 49ers lost Ronald Blair for the season, so they turned to a familiar face at defensive end.

The 49ers were bit hard by the injury bug Monday night, but the biggest blow came when defensive end Ronald Blair suffered a torn ACL while taking down Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.

Blair on Wednesday was officially placed on injured reserve, and his roster spot was filled with defensive end Damontre Moore.

Moore might sound familiar because of his terrific preseason showing with the 49ers. He had 2.0 sacks in the exhibition slate, but created a ton of pressure in a relatively large sample size.

His big preseason wasn’t enough to land a roster spot though on a deep 49ers defensive line. Losing Blair put the 49ers in a spot where they couldn’t simply add another DL. They had to match Blair’s skill set, and Moore is probably the closest they were going to find on the free agent wire.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters the team wanted Moore on the roster, but couldn’t make it work at a deep defensive end spot. He also said they were fortunate Moore was available after his strong preseason.

“Yeah, definitely with how well of a preseason he had,” Shanahan said when asked if he was surprised Moore was available. “But it’s tough in this league, especially being a veteran when you don’t have practice squad eligibility. I guess it didn’t work out for him, but with the tape he put on, yeah, we were surprised and felt lucky he was still out there.”

Moore has played in 54 games across six NFL seasons. He also spent time in the Alliance of American Football and played well in the now-defunct league. The 27-year-old has 10-career sacks, although 9.5 of them came in the 2014 and 2015 seasons.

Replacing Blair won’t be easy. He’s a very smart, productive player in the 49ers defensive line rotation. Blair had 3.0 sacks and seven tackles for loss before sustaining his season-ending knee injury.

Moore will get a chance to debut for the 49ers on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.