What we learned about the 49ers offense in training camp: Receivers need a leader
Access to training camp wasn’t quite the same this year as we’re all trudging through a pandemic. Reporters were quartered off to the far side of the 49ers practice field, often with obstructed views when full-team work was done on the other side of the facility.
Still, training camp is often the best time to learn about how a team is operating and evaluate all the moving parts (even if reporting rules were more strict this season because of the lack of preseason games).
Here, we’ll go through each position group on the offense, with quick thoughts about what happened and what to expect when the regular season begins Sept. 13 against the Arizona Cardinals.
Quarterback
Jimmy Garoppolo has been sharp for the majority of his practice reps since becoming franchise signal caller in 2018. But the occasional bad practice has been known to draw the most attention. Last year it was the infamous session that included five interceptions on five straight attempts. This year he was picked three times during a red zone drill that also included three touchdown passes.
Coach Kyle Shanahan has said Garoppolo has grown more comfortable in the offense and each mistake offers a learning experience. That’s to be expected given all the moving parts in Shanahan’s complex scheme, whether it be all the skill players being required to know every every position for the passing game, or all the pre-snap motions that make Shanahan’s offense tough to handle for defenses.
Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh noted Garoppolo is being more decisive. The key will be limiting his turnovers after throwing 13 interceptions and being charged with 10 fumbles in 2019. Garoppolo appears to have ditched the knee brace protecting his left ACL tear from early in 2018. Don’t expect Garoppolo to move around like Lamar Jackson, but Shanahan dialing up more bootlegs to get Garoppolo outside the pocket could be in the cards.
Running back
You may have heard the Shanahans and position coach Bobby Turner are good at identifying and developing running backs that fit their outside zone running scheme. Journeyman Raheem Mostert was the most-recent example last season. He appears entrenched as the team’s top back heading into 2020 after not starting a game last season despite leading the team in rushing.
Behind him the 49ers have a number of speedy options with varying skill sets. Tevin Coleman is the trusted veteran who may not have one supreme trait — but he’s a good at just about everything needed to keep the machine functioning.
The wild card of the group will be Jerick McKinnon, the ultra-athletic free-agent addition in 2018 whom Shanahan thought was underutilized with the Vikings. He missed the last two seasons with knee issues. McKinnon appears fully healthy now after multiple surgeries and, if practice is any indication, could offer Garoppolo something he missed last season: a dynamic checkdown option.
Rounding out the group is Jeff Wilson Jr. and undrafted rookie JaMycal Hasty, who might be the latest Shanahan-Turner find. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Hasty contribute at some point this season even if he ends up on the practice squad.
Receiver
There might not be a more talked about group heading into the season. That’s because there appears to be enough talent, but experience is the big question mark. The No. 1 option will be Deebo Samuel, but he missed all of training camp with a broken foot and is uncertain for the opener.
The second option is recent No. 25 overall draft choice Brandon Aiyuk from Arizona State, who looked like the team’s best receiver for spells on the practice field. But he strained his hamstring last week, potentially leaving Kendrick Bourne, Trent Taylor and Dante Pettis as the remaining options. That’s hardly a murderers’ row, but this is a team whose tight end is the top pass catcher.
Taylor, the shifty slot receiver, has been a sight for sore eyes on the practice field. He says he’s back to his pre-foot injury form of 2019, when he looked poised to lead the team in receptions. The problem, of course, is Taylor’s injury history is piling up and he’s only 5-foot-8 and 180 pounds. Taylor, when available, is one of Garoppolo’s favorite targets, particularly on third down. Getting him healthy could compensate for the injuries to Samuel and Aiyuk in the early going. Losing Jalen Hurd for the season with a torn ACL was the worst development of training camp for San Francisco.
Tight end
The biggest contractual question of the offseason was handled just before practice began earlier this month when George Kittle inked his record-setting, five-year, $75 million contract.
Kittle is undoubtedly the 49ers’ most dynamic offensive player. And the 49ers might have an established No. 2 option to complement him for the first time in his career. Jordan Reed, who missed all of last season following a preseason concussion, said this week he’s having more fun than ever since joining San Francisco.
Whether that translates onto the field — and Reed remains healthy after appearing in just 19 games over the last three seasons combined — is impossible to forecast. The 49ers are hoping the former Pro Bowler could help out in the passing game while the receivers are nicked up and need seasoning. Additionally, the 49ers still like last year’s No. 2 option, Ross Dwelley, who missed most of camp with a foot injury, and rookie sixth-round pick Charlie Woerner, an intriguing athlete who can offer some versatility as a blocker, either as a tight end or fullback.
Offensive line
The 49ers haven’t had someone challenge Kittle for the title of the team’s best offensive player over the last two summers, but Trent Williams changed that.
The new left tackle has been thrilled to reunite with Shanahan on a contending team. He’s taken that excitement out on defensive linemen who have struggled to move and out-maneuver the seven-time Pro Bowler. Williams going against Nick Bosa, even if it’s just a pair of one-on-one reps each day, was clearly the most high-level matchup on the field. Both players are contending to be the best players at their positions in the league.
Otherwise, the offensive line has some holes, particularly with centers Weston Richburg (torn right patellar tendon) and Ben Garland (ankle) out of the lineup. That’s forced right guard Daniel Brunskill to get reps at center where he’s clearly very green. And newcomer Tom Compton has been a favorite matchup for the team’s stout interior defensive linemen during individual drills. The center and right guard spots could be worrisome if injuries persist. But not all the news surrounding the interior is bad. Left guard Laken Tomlinson had an excellent camp and has a chance to make a Pro Bowl jump this year.
