2020 Preview: 10 things to know about the 49ers’ new season
Any other year, this would be straightforward. But with the coronavirus pandemic still running its course, the San Francisco 49ers face more than the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday afternoon. The new season comes with questions. How will they be able to keep their team together if the salary cap drops substantially? Will fans be able to attend any home games? And how will all the 49ers’ pieces fit together as they try to work rookies into the starting lineup to fill the void left by key departures?
This much we know: If the 49ers are going to make another run at a Super Bowl title, the defense will need to be smothering and the offense will need to be dynamic. Here are the other things to watch as this very peculiar NFL season kicks off.
Pandemic procedures
1. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced most NFL teams to play without fans in the stadium for the foreseeable future. For the 49ers, that means no fans Week 1, and it’s unlikely the idea is even considered before November. So that raucous crowd from last year’s playoff run will have to wait before getting back in the building to cheer on the defending conference champions. The coronavirus has also impacted the players, who have been forced to get tested daily and comply with social distancing protocols inside the facility, which means plexiglass dividers between each locker, individualized tents for weight lifting and makeshift meeting rooms inside Levi’s Stadium with at least 6 feet between each seat.
Jimmy G’s future
2. This season will go a long way towards shaping Jimmy Garoppolo’s future with the team. The quarterback is entering just his second full campaign as a starter despite entering the league in 2014 and getting traded from New England in 2017. Garoppolo has taken to Kyle Shanahan’s stern coaching and is expected to improve significantly. But how much? That’s the biggest question. If Garoppolo can elevate his game to make up for the defense dropping off with DeForest Buckner gone, Garoppolo might play himself into a new contract extension and move into a tier where his viability as a championship-level quarterback is no longer questioned.
Kittle is the star
3. George Kittle got paid. Really paid. The star tight end received a five-year, $75 million deal on the even of training camp last month making him the richest tight end in league history. His $15 million per season dwarfs the previous high, just under $11 million for Austin Hooper with the Browns, and set the table for Chiefs star Travis Kelce to get his four-year extension just hours later. Kittle is the best blocking tight end in the league and his 2,945 yards are the most by a tight end in the first three seasons in league history, surpassing Mike Ditka and Rob Gronkowski. That’s not bad, per sources.
Williams stabilizes the line
4. Joe Staley retired. But fear not, the 49ers might have found an upgrade at left tackle. Trent Williams was unquestionably one of the best offensive players throughout training camp after coming over for the modest price of a third- and fifth-round draft pick. Williams held up well against Nick Bosa, who’s expected to elevate himself into Defensive Player of the Year consideration.
Nick Bosa anchors the defense
5. Speaking of Bosa, he has a chance to join Kittle in the pantheon of generational fan favorites if he continues his trajectory from his Defensive Rookie of the Year campaign in 2019. His 80 pressures, including 10 sacks, 18 quarterback hit and 52 hurries, were the most ever tracked by Pro Football Focus since the scouting service began keeping those stats in 2006. Put more simply, Bosa was really, really good as a rookie. San Francisco is hoping he turns into a star now that DeForest Buckner, the previous stalwart along the defensive line, is with the Indianapolis Colts.
Comeback kids
6. This is the season of comeback stories, potentially. Williams, running back Jerick McKinnon, receiver Trent Taylor and new tight end Jordan Reed are all expected to be key contributors after missing last season for various reasons. McKinnon could be a valuable pass catcher out of the backfield, Taylor is a solid slot receiver and Reed was one of the league’s best tight ends before injuries took their toll. The 49ers would love to see all four of those guys stay healthy. One comeback story we won’t be hearing until at least 2021 is promising receiver Jalen Hurd, who tore his ACL in training camp before he could even participate in team drills.
The wild NFC West
7. The NFC West might be the best division in the NFL. The Seahawks will always be DangerRuss (sorry) as long as Russell Wilson and Pete Carroll are around. The Rams are just two years removed from the Super Bowl and narrowly missed the playoffs last season at 9-7 despite the shoveling of dirt on their grave. And the Cardinals, Sunday’s opponent, featuring a potential star in quarterback Kyler Murray. Put it all together, and there don’t appear to be any easy wins in this division. It wouldn’t come as any surprise if two teams reached the playoffs, and a third wouldn’t be shocking, either.
Richard Sherman’s future
8. Is Richard Sherman going to stick around beyond this season? If he can replicate his second-team All-Pro performance from 2019, it would certainly seem plausible the 49ers decide to keep the leader of their strong secondary around for a little longer. Sherman said this week his wife, Ashley, has capped his career at three more seasons. He’d be 35 in 2023. Fortunately for him, it’s the mental side of his game that keeps his production at an elite level. How the Stanford alum plays in 2020 will go a long way toward determining his future in the Bay Area.
How good is Shanahan?
9. Is Kyle Shanahan an elite coach? We know he’s an elite play-caller and schemer. His players love playing for him and he’s regarded as a high-level teacher. But nationally Shanahan’s known for his failings in the Super Bowl more than anything else. His teams have given up second-half leads twice now, in 2016 and last February, meaning he’ll have to shake those memories if he wants to be cemented in the league’s top tier along with Bill Belichick, Andy Reid, Sean Peyton, Mike Tomlin and Carroll.
The 49ers dynasty
10. The 49ers are tied with the Dallas Cowboys for the second-most Super Bowl victories in the NFL with five. They trail the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots, who each have six. San Francisco winning a Super Bowl this season, after losing it last year, would add hardware to the argument that the 49ers are the most storied franchise in the league. Consider, they would have won Super Bowls in the 80s, 90s and 2020s, behind some of the most iconic figures in the league, including Bill Walsh, Joe Montana, Steve Young, Jerry Rice and Ronnie Lott. Would any current players join that pantheon? Kittle? Bosa? Garoppolo? And would Shanahan be the one to start a new dynasty like Walsh did in the 80s? It’s there for the taking. But surely Patrick Mahomes will have something to say about it.