Tag: 49ers Rumors

USA TODAY has intriguing idea for how 49ers can use offensive superstar

Could something of a position change be coming for Christian McCaffrey?

There are clear ways the return of running back Christian McCaffrey will help the San Francisco 49ers.

They’ve been one of the most efficient offenses in the NFL through eight weeks. They’re No. 2 in the league in yards per play and No. 2 in percentage of drives that end in a score. Despite that, they’re No. 8 in total scoring because they’ve struggled to find the end zone.

McCaffrey’s return should help them dramatically in that area. However, they’ll have to be judicious in the way they deploy the reigning Offensive Player of the Year. That’s where USA TODAY’s Nate Davis offered an interesting idea for how the 49ers can use McCaffrey.

In his weekly power rankings, Davis called for something of a position change for McCaffrey:

If Christian McCaffrey and his Achilles issues are indeed on the other side of this week’s bye, you wonder if the Niners should maybe deploy him more heavily in the slot to bolster a weakened receiver corps and let RBs Jordan Mason and Isaac Guerendo continue doing their spectacular work out of the backfield.

This is an interesting idea!

McCaffrey’s Achilles tendinitis will require a little bit of management from the 49ers, meaning they’re unlikely to be able to lean on him for 21-plus touches per game like they did last year.

Using McCaffrey as a receiver isn’t a novel idea. He lined up in the slot or out wide on 17.7 percent of his snaps last season, and averaged 11.1 snaps at those two spots per game.

Perhaps if the 49ers want to lighten McCaffrey’s overall workload without removing him from the field, they can utilize him as a receiver on something closer to 30 percent of his snaps. From there they can sprinkle in Mason and Guerendo to ensure they’re getting touches for the other players in their backfield as well.

At the same time, they’d be taking some of the onus off of WRs Chris Conley, Ricky Pearsall, Jacob Cowing and Ronnie Bell to be playmakers in the passing game.

Don’t be surprised if the 49ers utilize some form of this strategy once McCaffrey returns. It may not be a 30 percent snap rate at receiver, but we can expect an uptick in his playing time at that spot as the club tries to ensure they’re keeping him as healthy as possible to try and make a playoff run.

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49ers can’t continue waiting to get aggressive in trade market

The 49ers can’t sit around and wait for the trade market to dry up.

It’s clear after eight weeks that the San Francisco 49ers’ roster, as currently constructed, isn’t a viable Super Bowl contender.

Injuries have played a role, to be sure, but the 49ers badly need help at multiple positions if they’re going to make a run after their Week 9 Bye.

Unfortunately for the 49ers, they won’t have another game before the Nov. 5 trade deadline. They know everything they’re going to know about their roster by the time the deadline passes, save for how running back Christian McCaffrey will respond as he ramps up to return from his Achilles tendinitis.

San Francisco has been aggressive in the trade market in the past, and it’s time for them to hit the gas pedal again.

The Kansas City Chiefs, a Super Bowl contender, have already acquired wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins from the Tennessee Titans and edge rusher Josh Uche from the New England Patriots. Hopkins was available for a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2025 draft. Uche was had for a 2026 sixth-round selection.

Perhaps San Francisco wasn’t looking for a receiver of Hopkins’s caliber, but they need edge help and Uche would have been an upgrade over a player like Robert Beal.

Elsewhere in the AFC, the Baltimore Ravens bolstered their receiving corps by sending a 2025 fifth-round pick to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for WR Diontae Johnson and a 2025 sixth-round pick.

In the NFC, the Minnesota Vikings lost left tackle Christian Darrisaw to a season-ending knee injury. They filled that gaping hole by dealing a conditional 2026 fifth-round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars for left tackle Cam Robinson and a conditional seventh-round pick.

These are Super Bowl contenders that have identified areas of weakness on their rosters and sent out relatively limited draft capital to buttress them. If the 49ers want to be in that group, they should be acting now before other contenders start scooping up available contributors.

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Did Kyle Shanahan hint that 49ers plan to keep pending free agent CB?

Deommodore Lenoir has been awesome this season.

There aren’t many players on the San Francisco 49ers playing better than cornerback Deommodore Lenoir through the first eight weeks.

Lenoir, a fifth-round pick in the 2021 draft, is entering the final year of his contract and appears to be on track for a sizable payday in the offseason. The 49ers have some financial constraints ahead considering the lucrative contract extension quarterback Brock Purdy figures to fetch this offseason, but Lenoir may be another player they prioritize.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Monday was asked about Lenoir’s terrific start to the 2024 campaign. In his answer he made an interesting comment about Lenoir’s playing style that may signal the team’s intent to pay him in free agency.

“Yeah, DMo’s been a stud,” Shanahan said. “He is exactly what you want a 49er to play like. He came in his first rookie camp and stood out, got me fined for illegally jamming people too hard and putting on the internet. So, I always mess with him for that. But he started out real well, made a couple mistakes early on as a rookie and lost his confidence just a little bit I thought his rookie year. Then that second season, the way he came back in the offseason, kind of just possessed to get that job back and he’s kind of owned it ever since. He’s been a stud for a while to me and he gets better each year. He’s having a hell of a year.”

It’s not a slam dunk that the 49ers will keep a player just because the head coach said “he is exactly what you want a 49er to play like,” but it’s an indication of how highly regarded Lenoir is in the team’s building.

He has the versatility to play in the slot or outside, and he’s steadily improved over his four years to become the most reliable member of a very good secondary.

Lenoir figures to get a big-time contract in free agency, and his market may dictate that he’s owed more than the 49ers can or will spend at corner.

However, his importance to their team is growing and Shanahan’s quote on him is indicative of that.

If the 49ers’ pass rush continues to struggle and their secondary continues playing well, we may see a shift in philosophy where the 49ers prioritize a very good coverage corner like Lenoir, then see if they can go bargain hunting to fill in their pass rush instead of the other way around.

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49ers have to use trade deadline to separate from jam-packed NFC West

It’s trade time for the 49ers … look no further than the jam-packed NFC West for proof:

Part of the reason the San Francisco 49ers’ win over the Dallas Cowboys was so massive is because of their place in the NFC West.

Had the 49ers lost to Dallas on Sunday night it would have dropped them to last place in the division, a half game below the 3-4 Los Angeles Rams. Instead, they won and put themselves in the thick of a logjam at the top.

Coming out of Sunday, the Arizona Cardinals lead the NFC West by way of head-to-head tiebreakers with the Seattle Seahawks and 49ers. All three teams are 4-4 after eight weeks.

The 49ers are in second place thanks to their head-to-head victory over the Seahawks.

Seattle is in third with the Rams bringing up the rear only a half game back of the 4-4 trio.

It’s clear, as currently constructed, the 49ers are going to be in a dogfight to reclaim the NFC West crown. They’ve struggled to close out games. Their injury situation has left them digging deep into their roster, and through half a season they don’t appear to be a Super Bowl contender.

Running back Christian McCaffrey’s return at some point after their Week 9 Bye will be helpful. However, the trade deadline is where the 49ers can create some real separation.

Neither the Seahawks nor Cardinals are likely to fancy themselves Super Bowl contenders. Both teams have been good, but the expectations for those clubs are significantly different than they are for the 49ers. There’s urgency in San Francisco that may not be felt in Seattle or Arizona.

The 49ers have a couple of clear needs to address at the deadline, and their front office during the Kyle Shanahan-John Lynch era hasn’t been shy about being aggressive.

Part of their need to make a move at the deadline is because they need to contend with the likes of Detroit, Kansas City and other Super Bowl contenders. The other part is creating some distance from the rest of their division.

San Francisco should be the best team in the NFC West. Approaching the deadline, they’re not. A couple of trades to shore up some of their issues on either side of the ball should help them re-establish dominance in the division in time to make a run and leave the rest of the logjam behind them.

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49ers offense gets boost from unlikely source vs. Cowboys

Shoutout to Isaac Guerendo.

The San Francisco 49ers’ offense was stuck in a little bit of a rut Sunday night against the Dallas Cowboys, but an unlikely hero helped them turn it around.

In the first half of a 30-24 win over the Cowboys, the 49ers scored only six points. Their run game in particular struggled with running back Jordan Mason churning out only 18 yards on six carries in the first quarter and change.

A shoulder injury wound up forcing Mason into the locker room before halftime, opening the door for rookie fourth-round pick Isaac Guerendo. He entered the game with just 23 carries on the season, including only one in Week 7 against the Chiefs.

Sunday wasn’t the first time Guerendo got an opportunity for extended playing time, but it was certainly his best outing. He rushed for 85 yards on 14 carries and scored his first-career touchdown. He also got to 85 yards with a long run of just 19.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters after the game that the improvement for Guerendo has been clear.

“I think he’s learned from each run he’s gotten,” Shanahan said. “There are a couple runs earlier in the year that he did alright on, but we grade him pretty hard, everybody pretty hard. And he had a couple, like four-yard runs we thought he could have got seven yards on. We go pretty hard on him. And then you watch how he takes that to practice and everything we’ve really kind of been pushing him with, he’s been real coachable, he’s not a sensitive guy, he’s real detailed and he’s very poised for a rookie. Things aren’t too big for him and didn’t get a lot of preseason, but once he got healthy there and throughout this year, I feel he’s gotten better each week.”

Guerendo also played a big role in the 49ers’ Week 6 win over the Seattle Seahawks, but he struggled to find running room in that game before a 76-yard run late in the fourth quarter helped the 49ers seal the victory. He finished the game with 10 carries for 99 yards.

He was more consistent Sunday night with runs of 19 and 15 yards on his first two touches. He flashed his speed and his power, and in general looked more patient in waiting for running lanes to develop.

Shanahan also said Guerendo was running well enough that they didn’t even try to put Mason back in the game after he came out for the second half with his helmet on — a sign he was ready to go.

Guerendo rewarded the 49ers’ faith in him by going for 47 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries in the second half. He also contributed as a pass catcher, hauling in three of his four targets for 17 yards.

The talent has always been apparent with Guerendo, he just wasn’t catching on the way we’ve seen other RBs do in Shanahan’s scheme. Sunday night was his coming out party and it came in a game where the 49ers desperately needed their run game to get rolling to help them turn things around after a rough first half.

With Christian McCaffrey set to return soon, Guerendo may not get another opportunity as a lead RB this season, but he took his opportunity Sunday night and played well enough to be a major cog in a huge 49ers victory.

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How 49ers win over Cowboys impacts their trade deadline moves

The 49ers’ win over the Cowboys makes their trade deadline easy: Buy, buy, buy.

The San Francisco 49ers find themselves in an interesting spot with the NFL trade deadline looming on Nov. 5 at 1:00pm Pacific Time.

With a 30-24 win over the Dallas Cowboys, the 49ers pushed their record to 4-4 and put them in a tie for the NFC West lead with the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks.

They figure to get running back Christian McCaffrey back after the Bye week, injecting new life into an offense that struggled to find the end zone for much of the first half of the year.

Had the 49ers lost to the Cowboys, they might have become sellers at the trade deadline with a couple of key players like cornerbacks Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir headed to free agency and big paydays in the offseason.

However, a win puts San Francisco firmly in the buyers market.

This is a team that in 2021 was 3-5 at one point before finishing 10-7 and making the playoffs. In 2022 they were 3-4 and then won 10-consecutive games to win the division.

Given the impact McCaffrey figures to have, the 49ers can easily talk themselves into contending in 2024.

They need help on the defensive line and at linebacker. Their wide receiver room is a little thin as well. Offensive line help is always welcome, and running back depth could insulate them from a setback from McCaffrey or ongoing issues with RB Jordan Mason’s shoulder that he re-injured Sunday night.

What player(s) the 49ers acquire at the deadline will depend largely on market, injuries, and an internal analysis of their roster. They’ll surely be aggressive in making acquisitions ahead of the deadline though now that they’ve pulled themselves to 4-4 going into their Bye week.

The 49ers won’t get to play another game to analyze what they need, so they can get to work ASAP to find upgrades that may help them rise back into the ranks of Super Bowl contender.

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49ers star receives hefty fine for penalty vs. Chiefs

Trent Williams’ punch got him ejected and fined a hefty amount.

The final nail in the San Francisco 49ers’ Week 7 coffin was the ejection of left tackle Trent Williams.

Williams was penalized 15 yards and ejected near the end of the 49ers’ 28-18 loss to the Chiefs for punching Kansas City defensive back Bryan Cook. The NFL has fined Williams $11,817 for his action, per NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero.

Cook actually swung and hit Williams first while Williams was getting up after a play, but the officials only saw Williams’ reactionary punch. The NFL also fined Cook $8,442.64.

It was a clear sign of the frustration San Francisco was feeling in their fifth loss to Kansas City since the 2018 season. The Chiefs mostly dominated the game and held San Francisco to a season-worst 310 yards of total offense. It was also a sign that the 49ers weren’t dictating the game’s physicality and getting under an opponent’s skin the way we’ve seen them do in the past.

Williams also played his worst game of the year. Pro Football Focus gave him a below-average 55.4 overall grade. He didn’t allow a pressure, but he was hit with a pair of penalties, including the personal foul that got him ejected.

The punch from Williams was understandable given the circumstances, but ideally the team’s veteran leader won’t succumb to that kind of bait from an opponent in the future.

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Cowboys superstar LB unlikely to play vs. 49ers in Week 8

Micah Parsons is likely out for Week 8 per Adam Schefter.

It appears the banged up San Francisco 49ers are going to avoid facing Dallas Cowboys superstar edge rusher Micah Parsons when the two teams face off Sunday night.

Parsons was a non-participant Wednesday and Thursday for the Cowboys, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the three-time All-Pro is unlikely to recover from his ankle injury in time to play Sunday night.

This is a significant deal for a 49ers offensive line that has struggled at times this season. It’s also helpful for quarterback Brock Purdy who has generated some pressures of his own by holding onto the football too long.

Without Parsons, Dallas may have to resort to more blitzing to generate pass rush which is something Purdy and the 49ers’ offense should be able to take advantage of.

Parsons had 21 pressures and only 1.0 sacks in four games before his injury. He had 40.5 in the three seasons prior to this one, including a career-high 14.0 last season.

Without Parsons and edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence, who is on IR with a foot injury, the Cowboys have relied on a rotating cast of pass rushers to provide pressure.

Interior lineman Osa Odighizuwa has 17 pressures to lead the non-Parsons and Lawrence Cowboys. Odighizuwa, edge rusher Chauncey Golston and linebacker Eric Kendricks all have two sacks each per Pro Football Focus.

With the 49ers dealing with a host of their own injuries on offense, they’ll take the reprieve of missing Dallas’s top edge rushers in Week 8.

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49ers breakout star Jordan Mason isn’t satisfied with strong start to 2024

Jordan Mason knows how great Christian McCaffrey is. Now he wants to be better.

There aren’t many stories in the NFL this season better than San Francisco 49ers running back Jordan Mason.

The third-year undrafted rookie RB entered the season with 83 career carries and looked to be in line for another year a seldom-used reserve behind reigning Offensive Player of the Year, Christian McCaffrey. Now he’s the NFL’s second-leading rusher and San Francisco’s workhorse back while McCaffrey nurses bi-lateral Achilles tendinitis.

Mason isn’t satisfied with simply being a good story, though.

He joined the Candlestick Chronicles podcast with Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (launching October 25!), and said even before his new role emerged he was setting goals for himself to be the 49ers’ best running back.

“You gotta have goals within yourself, honestly,” Mason said. “I mean, I know who Christian McCaffrey is, and I wanna be better than him. He’s great, but I wanna be greater. So that’s my motivation in life.  I want to get better as myself. I want to get better — like I see my kids, when they look at me, they look at me like Superman. So I’ve gotta be Superman for them. So just things like that. You’ve gotta be motivated. You’ve gotta have that fire in you.”

While Mason has work to do to surpass McCaffrey, he’s off to a good start in his first stretch as a full-time, No. 1 back. His 5.2 yards per carry are the third-highest among players with at least 100 rushes, and he’s on pace to churn out 1,619 rushing yards — 232 more than McCaffrey’s career-high.

Perhaps the most impressive part of Mason’s strong start is that he’s maintained his productivity despite an unprecedented workload. He had his NFL career-high in carries for a season after only two games. Now he’s 44 carries shy of his career high in carries at Georgia Tech. He had 172 attempts in the 2019 campaign.

Mason said the expanded role hasn’t changed the way he handles himself during the season, save for some body maintenance.

“Honestly, you don’t want to change a lot,” Mason said. “Cuz then you start getting in your head thinking ‘oh you gotta do this. Oh you gotta do that.’ Like Christian even told me. He was like, ‘dude, just do you. What you’ve done has got you here, so just continue to do you.’ And that’s literally what he told me from himself, so I’m just staying the same. Obviously you’ve gotta do more things with maintaining your body. I’ve done acupuncture more times than ever before.”

The star RB admitted he isn’t a fan of needles, but he’s gotten used to the acupuncture treatment.

As the 49ers’ stumble toward their Week 9 Bye, they’re under a microscope with a 3-4 record after entering the season as a Super Bowl favorite.

While there are several ways to parse just what’s wrong with the 49ers this season, their offense is a particular aspect that’s drawn some scrutiny. They’ve made some changes to how they operate on that side of the ball with more downfield passing and fewer short throws that generate yards after the catch.

There’s still a heavy emphasis on the run game, and while Mason didn’t want to talk about some of the larger changes to San Francisco’s offensive approach, he knows exactly what his role is supposed to be when his number is called.

“I’m not gonna say too much about that,” Mason said. “All I know is when Brock Purdy wants to give me the ball, I’m there and I’m ready.”

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NFL trade rumors: 49ers unlikely to have shot at best WR on market

The San Francisco 49ers may need to trade for a WR, but the best available player is probably not in their reach.

Brandon Aiyuk’s season-ending knee injury puts the San Francisco 49ers firmly in the front of the line for teams in need of wide receiver help.

They may look to find that help in the trade market, but the best available wide receiver may not be a player they’re able to get.

The Athletic’s Dianna Russini on Tuesday reported the Los Angeles Rams are open to trading star WR Cooper Kupp, and they may be willing to take on some of his salary to execute the trade.

It’s hard to find a deal that makes more sense for the 49ers from a football and financial standpoint. Kupp, 31, is an outstanding, versatile WR who would fit in any offense, much less one as loaded as San Francisco’s. He’d also give quarterback Brock Purdy a reliable go-to target in the short and intermediate areas of the field.

He’d be affordable too, especially since the Rams are willing to take on some of his salary.

The overarching problem here is the Rams are in the NFC West and intra-division trades rarely happen, especially when they involve a player of Kupp’s caliber.

San Francisco might have a shot if there weren’t other WR-needy teams that might be willing to unload a second-round pick (or more) for Kupp. The Pittsburgh Steelers could use help at WR. So could the Kansas City Chiefs. Both of those clubs are not only not in the division, they’re not even in the conference.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are another club that may now be in need of a top-end WR following injuries to their top two receivers in Week 7.

Fortunately for the 49ers there should be a handful of quality receivers available for trade that can help them make up for Aiyuk’s absence. They’re just unlikely to be in the mix for perhaps the best trade target at the deadline.

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