49ers roster – Page 293 – Syndication Server

John Lynch optimistic Joe Staley will be back with 49ers next season

The 49ers believe they’ll have left tackle Joe Staley back for a 14th season.

The 49ers ended the 2019 season on the lowest note. Their Super Bowl LIV loss may not have hit any player harder than 13-year veteran left tackle Joe Staley. He expressed his extreme disappointment to reporters after the game, and reflected on the difficulties of bouncing back after losing on the biggest stage. The loss wasn’t enough to push Staley into retirement though. At least as far as general manager John Lynch knows.

Lynch on Monday told reporters in a video conference call that he’s optimistic the 49ers will have their left tackle back for a 14th consecutive season.

“He’s doing his typical routine down with this family in San Diego, working out and we’re encouraged,” Lynch said. “We’ve heard nothing that would lead us to believe that Joe’s not going to play. So, we are encouraged with that. We’ll see where that goes. That is something with each and every player particularly as they get closer, you give them that time that they need, but we are encouraged that Joe’s going to be a part of us moving forward.”

Staley, aside from the Super Bowl defeat, also dealt with a broken fibula and dislocated finger that required surgery and ultimately limited him to a career-low seven regular-season games.

He earned a two-year extension last offseason that keeps him under contract through the 2021 season. Staley once considered retirement after the 2016 season, but the culture change that arrived with Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan rekindled Staley’s desire to stay in the league. Now it appears he’ll give it at least one more go in 2020.

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49ers hopeful C Weston Richburg will be ready for training camp

The 49ers are hopeful Weston Richburg will be back from a torn patella in time for the start of the 2020 NFL schedule.

The 49ers on Monday got a bit of good offseason injury news during general manager John Lynch’s pre-draft video press conference. He told reporters center Weston Richburg is on track to return to action in time for training camp after tearing his patella Week 14 in New Orleans.

“Now will Weston be ready? He’s on target to be,” Lynch said. “Has the COVID situation, the shelter in place affected that a little bit? A little bit, but remember we’ve all been granted a kind of permission with the injured players that they can receive treatment, so they’ve continued on. Weston’s doing very well. Probably not as close as last year. He’s on target I should say to be ready to play if the season kicks off at the normal time.”

It’s not a given that the NFL season has it’s typical Week 1 kick off in early September. COVID-19 shutdowns have already barred teams from beginning their offseason programs on a regular schedule. There’s a chance, depending on how long COVID-19 has states under stringent shelter in place orders, that the season gets pushed back.

Still, there’s optimism that Richburg will return even if the NFL starts on time. San Francisco has a contingency plan if there is a setback for their starting center. They re-signed Ben Garland who did a nice job filling in for Richburg through the final three games and the postseason.

Continuity is key along the offensive line, and the 49ers offense is at its best when Richburg is manning the center of that unit. It’s why they gave him a five-year, $47.5 million deal at the start of the 2018 season. If he’s back to start the season, San Francisco should hit the ground running on that side of the ball in 2020.

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49ers facing complicated running back situation

The 49ers have a glut of talent at running back, leading to a tough decision on the roster.

The 49ers face a slew of tough roster decisions heading into the 2020 season, but perhaps the most complicated one is in their very crowded, albeit very talented, running backs room.

Matt Breida on Thursday signed his one-year restricted free agent tender, ensuring he wouldn’t sign with another club in the offseason. The signing put a spotlight on the 49ers’ roster at the running back position and the tangled web of talent the front office has assembled.

Heading into the NFL draft, here’s what the 49ers’ group of running backs looks like:

Raheem Mostert
Matt Breida
Tevin Coleman
Jeff Wilson Jr
Jerick McKinnon

Mostert is the only player in that group signed beyond the 2020 season.

Breida is on a one-year restricted free agent tender. Coleman is on the second year of a two-year deal he signed last offseason. Wilson is on an exclusive rights tender, and McKinnon restructured his contract to effectively make it a one-year deal with an extra year tacked on strictly for spreading out his cap hit.

The only sure thing for the 49ers at running back going into this season is Mostert. While he can be let go without any major salary cap ramifications, he’s valuable as a runner and on special teams and shouldn’t have any trouble keeping his roster spot. Everyone after him is more expendable, but they also serve real roles in the 49ers’ offense.

Breida is a trade candidate, but he’s averaging more than 5.0 yards per carry in his career.

Coleman can be let go with $2 million in dead cap and just over $2.8 million in saving. He spearheaded the rushing attack through the middle part of the season and had a monster divisional playoff game against the Vikings.

Wilson can be released with no dead cap, but he’s the team’s de facto short-yardage and goal line back when he’s active.

McKinnon’s restructure makes him a $2 million cap hit with $910,000 in cap savings if he’s released after June 1. His torn ACL before the 2018 season and complications from it before 2019 have kept him from suiting up for the 49ers in the regular season, but his skill set could allow him to be the team’s top running back if he’s healthy.

With a maximum of four roster spots available for running backs, San Francisco is looking at a numbers issue in the backfield. And that’s without the added wrinkle of the team drafting another running back to ensure they have a player on a cheap contract beyond the 2020 season. That would give them six players for a maximum of four roster spots, and no easy cuts in the group.

Typically moving on from running backs is easy in a modern NFL where the value at that position is steadily declining. It’s not that easy for San Francisco though – a team that ran the ball more than every team but the Ravens last year. They rely too heavily on their deep stable of backs to spearhead the NFL’s second-highest scoring offense.

That group is going to look a little bit different in 2020, and figuring out who stays and who goes is going to be one of the toughest, most important decisions the 49ers coaching staff makes all year.

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Kendrick Bourne officially returns to 49ers for 2020 season

Kendrick Bourne’s return was mostly a formality, but he officially signed his second-round tender.

Kendrick Bourne’s return to the 49ers was mostly a matter of formality once the team placed a second-round tender on the restricted free agent. He officially signed that one-year tender on Monday.

To sign the 24-year-old, a team would’ve had to give a second-round pick to San Francisco. Bourne is a fine player, but that’s a steep asking price that indicates how much the 49ers wanted to ensure the receiver was back in Santa Clara next season.

The second-round tender will earn Bourne $3.259 million in 2020 according to Over the Cap. He’ll become an unrestricted free agent after the season if he doesn’t agree to a long-term deal with the 49ers before then.

Bourne signed as an undrafted free agent in 2017 and quickly made a mark. He played in 11 games his rookie year with 16 catches for 257 yards, then followed that up with 42 catches for 487 yards and four touchdowns in Year 2. The 487 yards were a team-high for wide receivers in the 2018 season.

His production didn’t climb much in 2019, but he was among the team’s most impactful receivers thanks to his nose for first downs and the end zone. He caught 30 passes last season, 23 of which went for first downs or touchdowns. That continued into the postseason where five of his six catches went for first downs or touchdowns.

With so much unproven talent on the roster, and a potentially truncated offseason, Bourne’s value could reach a new peak in 2020. He has a good rapport with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and could straddle the WR2 and WR3 line depending on how the rest of the talent develops in the receiving corps.

While the 49ers surely would’ve taken a second-round pick for a team to sign Bourne, his return will be equally welcome for a club that needs as much reliability at receiver as possible.

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5 49ers who could take on larger roles in 2020

Dante Pettis headlines a group of players that may have a bigger impact on the 49ers roster next season.

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.

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Former 49ers LB Elijah Lee to sign with Lions

The 49ers lost another free agent, this time Elijah Lee will head to the Detroit Lions.

Another one of the 49ers’ free agents will be leaving San Francisco. Linebacker Elijah Lee will join the Detroit Lions according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Lee’s agency confirmed the signing on Twitter.

Lee was a restricted free agent at the start of the offseason, but he was non-tendered by the 49ers which allowed him to explore the market as an unrestricted free agent. San Francisco went on to sign former Cardinals linebacker Joe Walker, spelling the end of Lee’s time with the 49ers.

He initially joined the club as a rookie in 2017 after the Vikings released him following his first training camp. Minnesota selected him in the seventh-round of that year’s draft.

Lee wound up playing in 14 games for the 49ers that first season with virtually all of his playing time coming on special teams. Injuries in 2018 pushed him into a starting linebacker role for five games, but he was back to predominantly special teams work across eight games in 2019 with Dre Greenlaw and Kwon Alexander snagging the starting jobs alongside Fred Warner. In 38 games, Lee made six starts and posted 76 tackles, four tackles for loss, 1.0 sacks.

The 49ers have now seen five of their free agents depart for other clubs. Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders joined the Saints. Defensive end Anthony Zettel is now with the Vikings. Defensive tackle Sheldon Day signed with the Colts, and tight end Levine Toilolo made his way to the New York Giants.

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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 veteran WR

The 49ers added a much-needed veteran to their receiving corps with former Chargers WR Travis Benajmin.

The 49ers on Tuesday added some veteran depth to their young receiving corps. They’re due to sign former Chargers wide receiver Travis Benjamin to a one-year deal.

Benjamin, 30, was a fourth-round pick of the Browns in 2012, and was there in 2014 when Kyle Shanahan was the offensive coordinator. He had moderate success his first three years, but exploded in 2015 with 68 catches for 966 yards and five touchdowns.

He spent the next four years of his career with the Chargers, but never replicated the success of his 2015 campaign. In four seasons with Los Angeles, he posted 93 catches for 1,430 yards and nine touchdowns in 42 games.

His 2019 season was limited to just five games after a quad injury landed him on injured reserve.

Benjamin’s experience in Shanahan’s offense could pay dividends if the offseason program is cut short due to ongoing shutdowns for COVID-19.

Adding Benjamin doesn’t rule out wide receiver as a need for the 49ers moving forward. They still need a No. 1 type of receiver on the outside.

Benjamin doesn’t fit that mold. He’s 5-9,180 pounds and ran a blistering 4.36 40 at the combine in 2012. That’s the kind of speed the 49ers miss when Marquise Goodwin is out, and given the cap savings San Francisco can create by trading or releasing Goodwin, it stands to reason they may be looking for a player who can fill that role.

He also has a ton of experience as a punt returner, with 109 returns in his career. Benjamin won’t be guaranteed a roster spot going into the season, but his ability to play multiple roles makes him an enticing option heading into next season.

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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