49ers burning questions: Can offense find key checkdown weapons and be unstoppable?
The 49ers had one of the NFL’s most efficient offenses in 2019 en route to winning the NFC Championship. They ranked third in scoring, eighth in overall yardage and fourth in yards per play.
But the passing game heading into the new season, if and when it happens amid the COVID-19 crisis, has areas to improve beyond the expected progression for Jimmy Garoppolo entering his second full campaign as the starting quarterback.
Garoppolo threw too many interceptions. Defenses caught 2.7 percent of his pass attempts, the eighth-worst interception rate among qualified quarterbacks. He was also sacked too many times. His 6.94 percent sack rate ranked 26th in the league. These issues showed up in the Super Bowl.
Part of the reason why: The offense lacked consistent checkdown options, which could be an area head coach Kyle Shanahan sees a significant upgrade in 2020 if two key players return from injury to their previous forms. It’s clear the next evolutionary step in the offense is to be able to trust the passing game more.
Taylor and McKinnon give Garoppolo options
Slot receiver Trent Taylor and running back Jerick McKinnon could offer Garoppolo checkdown dynamics he lacked last season which may have factored into less-than-ideal interception and sack rates.
Taylor and McKinnon both missed last season due to injuries. Taylor before the preseason opener sustained a Jones fracture in his foot, which is currently what top wideout Deebo Samuel is recovering from, and McKinnon spent his second straight season on injured reserve due to complications from the ACL tear that happened a week before the start of 2018.
Taylor had a series of complications, including an infection in his foot, that led to five procedures. McKinnon required a cleanup surgery at the end of last summer that cost him his second straight season since signing a four-year, $30 million contract with the 49ers in free agency in 2018. He reworked his contract this spring to return to San Francisco on a minimal one-year pact.
Taylor looked like one of many fifth-round steals by the 49ers front office when he entered the league in 2017. He had 43 catches as a rookie, the same as tight end George Kittle that year, and was particularly good when Garoppolo became the starter over the final five games. He caught all 15 of his targets on quick-hitting slant routes for the year, according to Pro Football Focus, and converted over 80 percent of those receptions into first downs. He was one of Garoppolo’s preferred targets from the outset.
Taylor had back surgery following his rookie season and wasn’t the same player in Year 2. He had just 26 catches for 215 yards when Garoppolo was lost Week 3 to his torn ACL. Taylor’s snaps went down from 494 to 321 from his first to second season.
He returned to have a strong training camp and earned sky-high praise from Shanahan for his work on the practice field before the foot injury derailed things.
“He looked better than the player he was in 2017,” Shanahan said in September. “He was having the best camp of anyone on our offense. That’s why (the foot injury) was real unfortunate for him.”
McKinnon eyes a comeback
Meanwhile, McKinnon has been training hard this offseason after being medically cleared since late last fall. The extra time off was designed to give him a better chance at being 100 percent for the upcoming season rather than risking playing hurt in 2019.
McKinnon’s pass catching was a major draw for Shanahan in free agency and proved to be a key part of his game during his first training camp in 2018 before he got hurt. McKinnon lined up all over the field and proved to be a tough matchup for linebackers and defensive backs, given his speed and agility. He was on track to be among the team’s leaders in touches, hence the big contract.
During his last season with the Vikings, in a backup role, he had 51 catches out of the backfield. That would have ranked third on San Francisco in 2019 behind Kittle’s 85 and Samuel’s 57. Tevin Coleman was the 49ers’ top pass-catching option at running back last season, but his 30 targets ranked No. 42 in the NFL at the position. McKinnon could provide an upgrade to that department that Raheem Mostert does not.
Of course, Taylor and McKinnon’s injury histories are problematic and make them risky bets in 2020. Taylor is just 5-foot-8 and 180 pounds, and he’s dealt with significant back and foot injuries the past two seasons. In McKinnon’s case, very few players ever come back to be productive after missing consecutive years, particularly running backs coming off ACL tears.
But the 49ers remain optimistic about their chances. And if they come back and play like they have in the past, San Francisco’s offense could take a noticeable step forward in its attempt to get back to the Super Bowl.