49ers mailbag: Is coaching to blame for QB situation? Which running back gets carries?

Not even the bye week went to plan for the 49ers, who placed eight active players on the reserve/COVID-19 list since losing to the Saints and falling to 4-6 Week 10. The team had to cancel workouts over the weekend because of it, a league source told The Bee.

But there was some good organizational news on Tuesday as general manager John Lynch, former star linebacker Patrick Willis and the team’s all-time sack leader, Bryant Young, were named semifinalists for this year’s Hall of Fame class. They were among the 25 modern-era finalists picked from a pool of 130 nominees.

The group will by trimmed to 15 before the next class is announced before Super Bowl LV in Tampa. So while the 49ers currently have just an 11 percent chance of making the playoffs, three of their key figures have a shot at getting immortalized in Canton, Ohio, next summer.

After some much-needed time off from injury and pandemic-related news, we’re back in the saddle. Let’s get going with our Thanksgiving week mailbag ahead of Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams.

@nathan_bobik asks: When it comes to straight up QB development, who does this for the 49ers and do they need help? Mullens, CJ, Jimmy.... they haven’t really improved over the last few years. Surely this can’t purely be on Kyle? Do we need a better/different development coach?

Kyle Shanahan is still regarded as one of the best offensive coaches in the NFL, but it’s fair to point out the team’s issues at quarterback this season.

However, I find it hard to blame the coaching when it comes to the situation under center. Garoppolo has been dealing with an ankle injury dating all the way back to Week 2, the running back injuries have been dire, George Kittle has missed the bulk of the season, the receiving corps hasn’t provided much stability and the offensive line has seen its share of struggles. Yes, every level of the offense has had problems.

Throw all that on top of the truncated offseason with a shorter training camp and no spring program, it’s easy to see why things haven’t gone to plan in any facet offensively.

I think the focus should be more on the big picture thinking than day-to-day development. The 49ers had chances to draft Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson while their focus, instead, was on signing Kirk Cousins before the Garoppolo trade fell into their laps. This spring they could have signed Tom Brady rather than stick with Garoppolo.

The 2017 draft will probably go down as the most glaring misstep in an otherwise very good rebuilding effort after inheriting a 2-14 team. To me, the bigger question should be why the 49ers didn’t have better evaluations of Mahomes and Watson. They could have moved back from No. 2, acquired more assets, and had high-level quarterbacks on their rookie contracts, rather than paying Garoppolo, who got the team to the Super Bowl in his only healthy season of his three as the starter.

Hindsight, of course, is 20-20. But the question about the lack of progression from the 49ers’ quarterbacks, to me, falls more on the circumstances than coaching.

@TheSFGiantsGuy asks: Do you have an expectation of how running back workload roulette will end up for the rest of the season?

I think the 49ers are going to lean heavily on Raheem Mostert because he’s been their best option and it hasn’t been particularly close, save for Jeff Wilson Jr.’s performance in the win over the Patriots. But Wilson isn’t expected back this week as he continues to rehab his high ankle sprain.

Mostert has a chance to return this week. He’s averaging a robust 5.9 yards per carry and 7.3 yards per touch in four games thanks to his long scoring plays against the Cardinals and Jets early in the season. Wilson is averaging 5.4 yards per touch, Jerick McKinnon, 4.7, and Tevin Coleman, 3.5. JaMycal Hasty’s season is over after fracturing a bone in his shoulder.

Mostert’s speed opens up things for the offense that other running backs simply don’t provide. His ability to break big plays on outside runs make play action far more effective, which is a key component for the offense and is particularly helpful to backup quarterback, Nick Mullens.

Coleman could also be back this week but would likely serve a complementary role, as McKinnon likely will as the primary third-down back. Wilson, whenever he returns, would be a good chance-of-pace and short-yardage option given his physical running style.

For now, expect Mostert to get leaned on heavily. He might be the team’s most dynamic offensive weapon given all the injuries.

@Suavo67 asks: Is Shon Coleman still signed next year because of his opt out? I haven’t heard that status since he opted out, but he was always tagged as a valuable “swing” tackle.

Players that opt out will have their contracts moved to 2021 and get a stipend in the meantime that serves as an advance on next season’s salary. The NFL Players Association and league agreed to create two stipends, one for high-risk players and another for those not deemed high risk.

Coleman signed a one-year deal reportedly worth $962,500 to return to the 49ers last spring. He was likely considered a high-risk player because he survived acute lymphoblastic leukemia was diagnosed when he was an 18-year-old, so his stipend should be the $350,000 (non-high-risk players’ stipends were worth $150,000).

So yes, Coleman is signed through next season, as are the team’s other opt-out players, receiver Travis Benjamin and offensive lineman Jake Brendel.

@bignickg55 asks: Why’d the Niners pick up Takk Mckinley only to wave him?

Players must pass physicals in order to finalize their additions to the active roster. Players claimed off waivers are no exception, and McKinley’s groin injury is what caused him to fail his physical with the Bengals after getting released from the Falcons, so it’s not entirely surprising he failed his physical with San Francisco and got waived.

@CARose27357416 asks: Hey Chris - love your coverage and the podcast! Quick question for you - what is the status of Jauan Jennings? Will he ever see the field as a 49er? Thanks!

Appreciate the kind words. The Candlestick Chronicles podcast is a lot of fun to put out each week. You can check it out on Apple podcasts or anywhere else you listen to podcasts.

On Jennings, he was placed on injured reserve Oct. 24 with an undisclosed injury. The severity has been unknown, but we’ll have a chance to ask Shanahan about this week. The seventh-round pick had been on the practice squad all season. And it’s notable he was passed over by Kevin White earlier in the season when the team was dealing with depth issues at receiver. Though that could have been because White was a better option as a gunner on special teams.