49ers mailbag: Is Justin Fields the perfect fit for Kyle Shanahan?
Some housekeeping before we get to this week’s mailbag.
The details of pass rusher Dee Ford’s contract restructure have come in and there are a few things to note. Most importantly, the 49ers lowered Ford’s cap number from over $20 million to $11.9, according to Overthecap.com, which says San Francisco has roughly $20.2 million in cap space, which doesn’t account for the modest one-year signings of safeties Jaquiski Tartt and Tavon Wilson.
That leaves San Francisco with just over $10 million in cap space after accounting for the expected $9.8 million it would cost to sign the upcoming draft class. That should be enough room for one or two notable free agent additions, and perhaps some added flexibility when the team hits the negotiating table with star linebacker Fred Warner, who will likely get a big new contract extension this offseason similar to George Kittle’s in 2020.
Overall, it appears the 49ers are in a pretty good financial spot, especially because they have most of their starters locked up, including the highest paid tackle in the league, Trent Williams.
So the first wave of free agency (full analysis here) is over, which means it’s time to start thinking about the NFL draft. That’s where we’ll start.
Box Kev asks: Putting your alma mater bias to the side, is Justin Fields a realistic option and ideal fit for Kyle Shanahan’s system?
Excuse me while I stop stuffing my face with peanut butter-filled chocolate Buckeyes after what happened in the NCAA Tournament last week.
Yes, I think Fields would be excellent QB in Shanahan’s system. But I also think Shanahan could make it work with just about any good quarterback, and Fields has a chance to be a star.
It would take some changes, but I think Fields would blossom in a play-action scheme that creates open looks and gets the ball to play-makers in space. Adding Fields’ legs would be a dynamic Shanahan’s never has had with Jimmy Garoppolo which could give an added boost to short yardage and the red zone.
But until the 49ers show they’re willing to trade what it would take to move up for Fields inside the top five, I’m hesitant to say he’s a realistic option. Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have been stingy with their first-round picks to date and made clear last offseason they would rather add them than trade one away when they dealt DeForest Buckner to the Colts.
They’ve been more prone to move up at the back end of Round 1 (for Reuben Foster and Brandon Aiyuk) than near the top, where they’ve traded down twice (in 2017 for Solomon Thomas and 2020 to take Javon Kinlaw).
Could Shanahan be in love with one of the quarterbacks in this class and move up? Perhaps, but it’s going to be a very competitive market given how many teams could use new quarterbacks. And the 49ers have a signal-caller that’s played in a Super Bowl, which isn’t the worst plan B.
I’d expect the Panthers, Broncos, Patriots, Steelers, Saints, Washington, Bears and even the Buccaneers be in the market to move up for their next face of the franchise. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if the 49ers decided to move back from 12 in a trade with those teams to acquire more picks, perhaps even an additional first-rounder in 2022.
Marcus asks: Hey Chris, I was really hoping to see Tarvarius Moore play a bigger role at safety this season, I believe he can be a real play maker. Is there a reason the 49ers are not ready to commit to him as the starting safety, do they still see him possibly competing for a CB spot? Thanks.
Moore told us after the season he was planning on bulking up to play strong safety in 2021. Accompanying that was the assumption Jaquiski Tartt would be headed elsewhere in free agency. Yet Tartt returned on a modest one-year contract this week which sets the table for an intriguing battle come training camp.
It could be the 49ers want to use more three safety looks next season. Jimmie Ward, Moore and Tartt seem like a good grouping for that. Robert Saleh used that trio a lot on third down. But we haven’t heard from new coordinator DeMeco Ryans since he’s been promoted (the 49ers have been avoiding media lately), so that will definitely be one of the questions he’s asked.
The good thing about Tartt, when healthy, is he could play both safety spots. His versatility is a big plus considered how good he’s been around the line of scrimmage. So the safety group could be used creatively.
As far as moving to corner, I don’t see it. He’s spent the past two seasons as a full-time safety and seems more natural there because he played safety in college.
Christopher asks: Many analysts and beat writers predicted a FA exodus to the Jets. We haven’t seen that yet. Any thoughts on this? Maybe the week 2 injuries contributed to decision making?
Perhaps, but there’s still a chance. Richard Sherman, K’Waun Williams and Kerry Hyder are all unsigned as of this writing. The Jets might be waiting for their prices to drop before pouncing.
One thing a few of the players have said since coming back is they enjoy the 49ers’ family-like atmosphere inside the building. To a man, Shanahan and Lynch have established a strong culture in which players want to be a part of. That might not be true, at least right now, for the Jets, who are looking to establish their culture in the spotlight of the biggest media market in the country.
Plus, the Jets are in a transitional phase while the 49ers seem set on getting back to contention in 2020. All things being equal, a chance at contending has more appeal that a rebuilding situation.
SportyMiner asks: Outside of Samson Ebukam and Alex Mack, we haven’t brought in much ‘new blood’ from free agency in to the team. Is this a surprise to you given the struggles we’ve had (lost SB at full strength, 6-10 last season) and recognizing the impact signings like Ford and Emmanuel Sanders had? Who else would you sign if GM?
I don’t think the team needed an infusion of new players. They just need their most important guys to stay healthy. A core of Nick Bosa, George Kittle, Fred Warner, Trent Williams, Brandon Aiyuk and others is solid and we’ve seen what this team could do when healthy.
I think it would have been a surprise to the locker room, that endured a whole lot in 2020 with the injuries and having to spend the last five weeks in Arizona, if they brought in a ton of new players in free agency.
Ideally, the 49ers want to draft good players, develop and pay them. Kittle and Warner are the obvious examples, while Bosa, Deebo Samuel and Dre Greenlaw could be next. That, to me, is part of why the players talk about the culture so much. The team pays a lot of their own guys while there’s always a chance to set a bad precedent in the locker room by paying big money to guys that come from elsewhere if they don’t fit in.
Shano asks: What kind of defensive expectations would you say we should have this season? Top 5? I just think healthy D line=problems on top of problems for other teams. Curious to see the new speed off the edge. Will it contain scramblers?
I think the 49ers would have a real shot at contending if they had a top-10 defense opposite a top-five offense (duh), which includes staying healthy. In 2019 they were ranked second and eighth in offensive and defensive scoring, respectively, and fourth and second in yardage.
I think the offense has a chance to be one of the league’s best. Aiyuk has star-level potential and we’ve already seen what Samuel can do if he’s healthy and practicing regularly, which was a big issue for him last season. Points shouldn’t be a problem, even with Garoppolo at quarterback.
Defensively, I don’t think they’re going to replicate their 2019 form unless they build a time machine and decide not to trade Buckner. But they have the talent to piece together a top-10 unit, particularly if Bosa returns to form and Kinlaw takes a big jump in year two.
Oh, and everyone has to stay healthy. I hope someone mentions that.
Dumb20 asks: can they bring K’waun and Hyder back?
It would seem their cap situation would allow it. What’s unknown is if they want to come back and if San Francisco would be able to field the best offer. Stay tuned.
Davis asks: Do the moves made in free agency suggest anything about the team’s plan for pick 12?
All we know, at the moment, is the 49ers don’t absolutely have to draft a left tackle because Williams is back.
And I think that’s what the smart teams do in free agency: shore up their needs, plug holes and make it difficult to figure out which direction they’re going to go in the draft.
I think the most likely scenario is the 49ers coming out of Round 1 with a pass rusher (ahem), cornerback, or maybe a receiver if one of the top three guys falls. They could definitely take a quarterback, but, again, I think the team feels better about Garoppolo than the general public. It’s more likely they take a signal caller on Day 2, in my opinion, but I reserve the right to be wrong.
They could also take an offensive lineman like Rashawn Slater and play him at right guard if the team is worried about the long-term future of right tackle Mike McGlinchey. In the meantime, that would give San Francisco five former first-round picks along the offensive line, and what better way to prop up your quarterback than to make sure he’s protected?
Keep in mind, four of the team’s six first-round picks since 2017 play in the trenches. I have a suspicion that’s where things are headed this year.
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This story was originally published March 24, 2021 at 7:11 AM.
