49ers mailbag: Should Kyle Shanahan trade up to draft a QB? Can Sherman play safety?
The 49ers on Wednesday flew to Arizona to embark on their unprecedented stay in the Phoenix area to practice and play their home games after contact sports were banned in Santa Clara County.
And with the team’s Monday night game against the Buffalo Bills upcoming, we pushed our mailbag back a day to coincide with the practice schedule that begins Thursday. Let’s get to this week’s mailbag as the 49ers are suddenly not out of the playoff hunt just yet.
@KDDrummondNFL asks: How much would you be willing to give the Cowboys for their draft pick and your next QB? Say you finish No.12 and Dallas is No. 4..
The 49ers are currently in the No. 16 spot, so falling to No. 12 isn’t out of the realm of possibility should they finish 2-3 or 1-4 down the stretch. But clearly coach Kyle Shanahan and his players are focused on making an unlikely playoff push, which would likely mean finishing 4-1 or 5-0 after their encouraging win over the Rams.
According to FiveThirtyEight, the 49ers would have a 51 percent chance at making the playoffs if they win their next two “home” games against Buffalo and Washington. That isn’t completely far-fetched, with Richard Sherman, Deebo Samuel, Raheem Mostert and Brandon Aiyuk expected to be in the lineup for San Francisco. Later, the 49ers could be looking at a scenario where Jimmy Garoppolo and George Kittle are back for the final two games, which could make the final few weeks very interesting as the NFC seems to lack a real juggernaut.
I’ve gone back and forth on the idea of moving on from Garoppolo next season. I don’t think he’s worth the $26.9 million salary, which is currently expected to be the 11th-highest among quarterbacks for 2021. But it’s also difficult to forecast what other options will be available. Trading for someone like Kirk Cousins or Matt Ryan feels like a lateral move, at best, while it could alienate the locker room.
To the point of this question, the best avenue to address the quarterback position, if the 49ers decide to move on, would be identifying a prospect they like in the draft and building the roster around his much smaller salary cap figure. After all, the 49ers have to pay star linebacker Fred Warner, left tackle Trent Williams, Sherman, fullback Kyle Juszczyk and others while the salary cap is expected to shrink. Another question: Would all those pending free agents want to come back to a team with a rookie quarterback?
So I’m starting to lean more into the idea that Garoppolo will come back and get another shot next season. Chris Simms, one of Shanahan’s closest friends who has also often been right when it comes to his analysis on the 49ers’ thinking, believes Garoppolo is likely to come back next year. I’m inclined to believe him.
But what would I give up to move to No. 4? I have to think a slew of teams will be in the market for quarterbacks this offseason. The bad ones (Jets, Jaguars, Panthers, Washington) will surely be in the market, while other teams with veterans might also be looking to make a switch (Eagles, Lions, Falcons, Broncos, Bears, and Patriots). So the price will surely be high, particularly if BYU’s Zach Wilson, Ohio State’s Justin Fields or North Dakota State’s Trey Lance are available after Trevor Lawrence inevitably goes first.
The price would likely start at two first-round picks and perhaps multiple Day 2 picks. For me, given all the free agents the 49ers have, they would be wise to hold on to their draft capital to replenish the roster rather than make that kind of move given how competitive the market will be for these quarterbacks. Maybe a prospect will fall to their lap in the teens, wherever they end up picking, or in Round 2.
But ask me again after the season because a lot can change between now and then. I’ve already changed my opinion on this multiple times.
@PTrooper87 asks: We expected Weston back!! What happened??
Weston Richburg had major shoulder surgery since injuring his knee last December. The details are unknown, but Shanahan said Tuesday he didn’t expect him to play this year, which means Daniel Brusnkill or Ben Garland, who is still out with a calf strain, will likely finish out the season as the starting center.
I will try to find out more.
Richburg isn’t the only key player who had a setback, either. Defensive end Ronald Blair III had a botched surgery to repair his torn ACL which will likely cost him the season, too, after suffering his injury last November. The 49ers brought him back on a one-year deal thinking he would be able to contribute at some point.
The hits this year have been nonstop, but maybe the team is turning the corner? (Knocks on wood.)
@510maleake49er asks: With Quaski hurt for the year, is this Uncle Sherm’s audition for the move to safety?
I’m out on the idea of Sherman playing safety.
That’s not to say he can’t. He’s smart enough to play any position in the secondary. I just don’t think he’s a fit for what the 49ers want at the position, nor do I think he would want to.
Look at who’s playing safety currently. Jimmie Ward and Tarvarius Moore are two of the rangiest and fastest players on the team. Sherman clearly isn’t that fast, and it’s hard to imagine he’d want to spend the last two or three years of his career playing in the box and dealing with offensive lineman rather than covering receivers in space.
Sherman can still play corner at a high level, evident by Sunday’s win over the Rams. I’d keep him there and leave Ward and Moore at safety. It seems to be working. And the 49ers’ defense is even faster with the move of Marcell Harris to linebacker.
@Column456 asks: Lots of chatter this week about Saleh getting a head coaching gig. If that happens do you think the team look outside of the organization for a replacement or do you think Shanahan makes an internal hire?
It depends who’s available. If the Broncos fire head coach Vic Fangio, the 49ers would at least have to consider bringing him back, though it might mean making a significant shift in scheme. That’s a big undertaking. Fangio has run a 3-4 and hasn’t been married to one single coverage scheme while the 49ers have been playing predominately Cover-3, similar to Pete Carroll’s fixture in Seattle.
Shanahan said when hiring Saleh that he thought Seattle’s scheme was the toughest to go against as an offensive coach, so it makes sense for him wanting to keep those principles at play, which could mean hiring someone like former Falcons coach Dan Quinn or Gus Bradley, who is currently the Chargers defensive coordinator (though who knows what happens with Anthony Lynn and if that team undergoes a regime change).
Internally, I think the best candidate might be linebackers coach DeMeco Ryans. He’s done an excellent job developing Warner and Greenlaw and is considered a bright, passionate, up-and-comer that players relate to given his successful playing career. That might be the best bet for the sake of continuity.
@BrianRenick asks: With Richburg likely done for the season, is it safe to assume he is likely done with the Niners as well? Has Brunskill done enough to be penciled in at C next season, or will they look to upgrade?
The 49ers could save $8.35 million by cutting Richburg with a post-June 1 designation next season, per Overthecap. And if the team isn’t convinced he’ll be healthy enough to warrant that kind of salary, it would be a wise move to part ways and run it back with Garland, Brunskill or a draft pick.
Brunskill has been decent since moving to center three games ago, allowing four total pressures in pass protection and no sacks, though the 49ers running game hasn’t been great during that span. San Francisco is averaging 2.92 yards per carry since he switched from right guard to center.
I’m not an X’s and O’s expert enough to point blame directly to Brunskill. Not having Mostert for the first two games of that stretch (though Mostert averaged just 2.7 yards per carry in L.A.) probably factored in too, and it doesn’t feel like the team’s other offensive linemen, or tight ends without Kittle, are doing great at run blocking, either.
If I had to guess, I’d say the 49ers move on from Richburg this offseason, bring back Garland, keep Brunskill in the mix either at center or right guard, and draft a center they could develop into a starter during the first three rounds.
