2020 Roster Preview: Offense
![A sign of things to come? [Sports Illustrated]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e40f3a094d5fa3ebbbedb09/1598939558692-7S2L5ZV4WVQXMTYLAPO2/aiyuk+training+camp.jpg)
A sign of things to come? [Sports Illustrated]
Training camp officially came to a close on Sunday, which means the Niners are moving into their regular season routine as they prep for the Cardinals in two(ish) weeks. With practices (mostly) closed to reporters from here on out and teams required to finalize their 53-man active rosters by Saturday, this seems like as good a time as any to look at the state of the team and examine the position and roster battles leading up to cut down day.
What’s that you say? This would make way more sense AFTER the roster is finalized? Well, I’m out of town this weekend so it’s now or never. Also I want the opportunity to point out random undrafted free agents as potential long-term sleepers just to see them get cut within a week.
This is gonna get long so the first installment is just about the offense. The second part will come later this week and will focus on the defense.
Injury Report :(
Per usual, we have a lengthy injury report (le sigh), and like last year, it seems like our offense will start the year bearing the brunt of the damage. The good news? There’s a lot of guys who could (should?) be returning very early in the season—some who could even be back (crossing fingers) by week one.
Injured Reserve
Will miss the entire season
WR, Jalen Hurd: Gotta feel for the kid. After rehabbing for an entire year to return from a stress fracture in his back and being brought back into training camp slowly and carefully by the medical staff, Hurd blew out his ACL during individual work on a side field. While Hurd’s intended “big slot” role could theoretically be absorbed by some combination of Jauan Jennings/Charlie Woerner/George Kittle, there is no one on this roster (or most rosters) who presents Hurd’s rare versatility and tantalizing size/speed combo.
Remember, Hurd was a three-year starter at running back (where he played ahead of Alvin Kamara), and totaled 2800 yards and 23 scores on the ground before flipping over to Baylor to play wide receiver. He did this all at 6-5 230 pounds. Similar to Jet McKinnon last year, Hurd’s role can’t fully be replaced—losing him means losing a piece of our offense. And while we still haven’t gotten to see exactly what that piece is, we’ve had just enough evidence to believe it could be worth the wait. Hopefully his rehab will go smoothly and—in 2021—we’ll finally get to see what Hurd can do.
Players Unable to Perform (PUP) List
A player on the PUP list will miss at least the first six games of the season. While PUP designations aren’t official until cutdown day, it seems almost guaranteed that the name below will start the season there.
Weston Richburg: Richburg was supposed to be back in time for training camp, but his recovery from a torn meniscus has gone slower than expected. If he lands on the PUP list, that would mean he’d have missed at least 10 games in his three years with the team—in addition to playing most of 2017 while hampered with injuries. Richburg was brought in because he’s a superior athlete, a smart player, and for all three of his years in New York he was graded (by PFF) as a top 3 pass-blocking center. While he played well to start last year, he’s yet to match those expectations, and with a contracted salary cap next year, lots of free agents coming up, and a possible out built into his hefty contract after this season, Richburg may need to have an All-Pro-type year to secure his roster spot moving forward.
Expected early season return
These guys are currently injured but are expected back within the first few weeks of the season—if not sooner.
WR, Deebo Samuel: Deebo’s recovery from a Jones fracture has been moving along well, and there’s a chance he’s ready for week 1. He’s been doing increasingly intense speed, agility, and conditioning work at practice—even catching stationary balls from some quarterbacks on Sunday—but he’ll still need to log the practice time and work his way back into football shape before he can see the field. With our receiver corps young and unproven—and Trent Taylor losing all of last season due to Jones fracture complications—the Niners are unlikely to rush Samuel back into the fold until he’s 100% healthy. There seems to be growing optimism that he will indeed be ready to open the season, but regardless, we should see him soon enough.
WR, Richie James: James suffered a broken wrist before training camp. The upper body injury has allowed him to condition and run more than Samuel and—last I heard—it seems like he’ll be healthy somewhere around the start of the season. However, it remains to be seen if he’ll still have a roster spot once he returns.
C, Ben Garland: That’s right, after a whole off-season talking about improving our interior offensive line, we already have our top TWO centers out with injuries (plus our would-be third center in Jake Brendel, who opted out of the season due to COVID concerns). Garland sprained his ankle last week during practice and John Lynch has said he may be out “a couple weeks.” This has led to some very annoying shuffling along the offensive line (which we’ll get to later), but regardless of who starts at center, having Garland back in the fold will be very very important.
OG, Ross Reynolds: A practice squad darling from last year, Reynolds had a major injury scare last week but was ultimately diagnosed with a bone bruise. He isn’t expected to miss much time.
FB, Kyle Juszczyk: Juice suffered a hamstring strain about a week ago and has been labeled “week-to-week” ever since. Due to the vague and rarely mentioned nature of his injury, this could turn out to be nothing or one of those injuries that stretches into the regular season. If it’s the latter, the Niners will need to get creative. Would-be sub Ross Dwelley has missed time and been labeled “day-to-day” over the past week—although he has apparently been progressing well—and the Niners would prefer not to throw undrafted rookie Josh Hokit into the fire right off the bat.
WR, Brandon Aiyuk: Staying on the topic of hamstring strains with “week-to-week” designations, Aiyuk came up gimpy on a deep route last Sunday and his availability for week one is currently in doubt. The word is that he won’t be sidelined for long (and he may indeed even play in the opener), but for a rookie in a shortened off-season, every snap before the games start is vitally important. Like Deebo, we should have a better idea of Aiyuk’s recovery timetable based on practice reports from the week leading up to opening kickoff.
Expected to play week 1
TE, George Kittle: Kittle’s missed a little time with “hamstring tightness” at the end of camp, but it doesn’t seem to be anything major. Hamstring issues are always complicated, so this could be either a precautionary move or—in a similar fashion to Juice—the downplaying of something that could leak into the regular season. For now, I’ll lean towards the former and stay bullish on Kittle’s chances of playing week one, but—as someone who tore their hamstring twice—I’d stress caution on any and all of our hamstring injuries.
Rehab Warriors
After that bucket of cold water, here’s the good news on the injury front. Each of these guys has struggled for the past 2+ years with injuries, and each of them has been getting rave reviews at practice for how much better and healthier they’ve looked.
Jet McKinnon has apparently been totally unguardable in 1-on-1 drills—an especially impressive feat considering we have one of the best coverage linebacker corps in the NFL. Many people have commented on how much healthier and explosive he looks this year compared to his ill-fated return in 2019, and he seems ready to carve out a role as a dangerous third down back (plus potentially more). A truly dangerous receiving back is something we’ve been looking for since Shanahan arrived, and it would be excellent to have one this year given our youth at receiver and the many question marks along our interior OL.
The only “true” slot receiver on the roster, Trent Taylor’s 2018 was hobbled by a back injury and his 2019 was lost after a preseason injury led to numerous complications and setbacks. By multiple accounts, Taylor is healthy and back to being the reliable underneath safety blanket that he was for Jimmy G in his rookie year. He also gives us an option on punt returns, a duty which he at least shared in both 2017 and 2018 and a position in which he seems like the front-runner due to his sure hands and the fact that the staff likely won’t want to overload Aiyuk if he’s getting major snaps on offense.
Finally, Jordan Reed—our newest addition—may have started training camp slowly as he was held out of most team activities for precautionary reasons, but he’s come on strong in the last few sessions. Shanahan has referred to Reed as the best route-running tight end he’s seen, and that’s shown up in 1-on-1’s against our safeties and during team sessions where he’s been getting open early and often.
This is probably as good a time as any to talk about the Reed pickup. Reed, when healthy, is one of the better receiving tight ends in the league. He’s very much a “move” tight end, who is most comfortable operating in the wing, off the LOS, or anywhere where he can use his superior athleticism and route running to win matchups in space. He is very versatile in the passing game and while he’ll never be a great run blocker, he’s willing and Shanahan has lauded his effort on the ground in the past.
For the Niners, he’ll be a specialty second tight end, coming in largely to create mismatches in the passing game. While rookie Charlie Woerner was brought in mostly for his blocking, Reed has absolutely been brought in for his receiving ability, and if he can stay on the field he would provide valuable rest for Kittle and make for some super intriguing double tight sets. Every extra man on the LOS creates another gap for our zone and stretch schemes and even more horizontal flow that we can exploit via play action passes. And while last year that second tight end was Toilolo or Celek, Reed presents a true second option at tight end who can be very dangerous in the open field.
That being said, it’s best to keep your expectations similar to 2019 Jason Verrett’s. In seven years in the NFL, Reed has only played in 65 games, has never played in more than 14 games during one year, and missed the entirety of last season after sustaining a concussion (the 7th documented concussion in his career) on a helmet-to-helmet hit in the preseason of 2019. After that hit, he was in the concussion protocol for six months before he was cleared to play. While he looks healthy now, the nature of his injury history means it’s best to temper expectations. But if he can play, he‘ll have an impact. Potentially, a very big one.
Position Breakdowns
QUARTERBACK
Jimmy G is your starter and may have a higher level of comfort both physically (a full year removed from his ACL tear and now without a knee brace) and mentally (a full year starting within Shanahan’s scheme) than we’ve seen before. While a few uneven practice performances have thrown some cold water on the idea of a second-year breakout, it’s worth wondering how much those issues will translate to the regular season when (a) it’s camp and (b) the glut of the issues have come with up to six starters missing on the offensive side of the ball. Only time—and the health of our offense—will tell.
Up for Grabs: Backup QB. Nick Mullens and CJ Beathard are still competing for the second spot. Given the drastic difference in on-field play when they’ve seen snaps, Mullens would have to be the front runner, but Shanahan has said they’re both neck-and-neck going into the season. The Niners are also expected to keep three quarterbacks on their active roster, meaning the backup designation won’t be something that determines a roster spot.
RUNNING BACK
While the Niners are unlikely to ditch a platoon-style system, the hope is that Raheem Mostert—a year removed from topping the league in many advanced metrics and with a newly bulked up physique and a freshly incentivized contract—gets the bulk of the carries. But it is worth noting, Mostert has zero career starts at running back.
That’s because last year the Niners preferred to start games with Tevin Coleman, under the idea that Coleman’s bigger size could soften up the defense for Mostert’s speedy counter punch. After a vintage Tevin Coleman fantasy cock-tease season (118 yards and four touchdowns one week against what was then one of the league’s top-rated defenses; 36 yards and no scores the next week against the doormat Cardinals), we’re hoping for a bit more consistency—even if it won’t necessarily be seen on the scoresheets.
As discussed above, Jet McKinnon has cemented his roster spot. He should be expected to fill the third down back role from the jump. Since the Niners prefer the “hot hand” method to running back touches, it would be great if he could sprinkle in some run game success as well. After all, while Matt Breida’s touches disappeared down the stretch, he did rush for 600+ yards on a whopping 5.1 ypc last year, and there were times where he looked like our lead back. The Niners system is better the more guys it has who can break big gains on the ground. McKinnon seems destined for a role in the passing game, but we’d only benefit from him carving out some touches in the run game as well.
Up for Grabs: Last rostered (4th) RB. Undrafted free agent JaMycal Hasty has shown speed, elusiveness, and playmaking ability in the passing game as he vies for the final roster spot against fan-favorite Jeff Wilson, who has a bigger, more bruising style, and is far from a slouch in the passing game.
Whoever doesn’t make it will certainly be put on the practice squad, but will they be able to survive there without getting swooped up by the competition?
Wilson is the better interior runner (we haven’t seen Hasty in full takedown tackling yet due to no preseason games), providing some battering ram insurance in case Coleman struggles in short-yardage situations and/or Mostert’s increased bulk doesn’t lead to more interior carries (although to his credit, Mostert did very well on said carries at a lighter weight last year). Hasty’s superior burst likely gives him more long-term upside (especially on an undrafted rookie contract), and his potential in the passing game could be nice insurance in case Jet McKinnon doesn’t make it through the year.
Ultimately this decision is more for next year than this one and while the training camp hype may make it difficult to stash Hasty on the practice squad (fellow undrafted free agent Salvon Ahmed was swooped up by the Dolphins the second the Niners let him go), the lack of preseason games could lead to less waiver wire movement from rookies once teams lock in their active 53. If I had to guess, Wilson’s experience coupled with his own ability on third downs (he caught three straight TD passes during the red zone drill of the last day of training camp) would give him the nod. But it’s a close race.
Intrigue: Undrafted free agent Josh Hokit could be Juice’s heir apparent if the Harvard product doesn’t re-sign with the Niners after the season. A football player and All-American wrestler in college, Hokit catches the ball well and has the athleticism and physicality to develop into the kind of dynamic lead blocker that a Shanahan offense needs to field an elite stretch game. But no one, even us, rosters two fullbacks, so Hokit seems destined for the practice squad.
WIDE RECEIVER
Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and Kendrick Bourne are all guaranteed roster spots. Deebo looked amazing in the off-season, but obviously we would have liked the guy to be healthy for his ever-important second-year training camp. How he returns from injury will be key. Bourne, now the elder statesman of the receiver corps, has been a consistent performer through team activities. His role at X is solidified. Meanwhile, Aiyuk has been the star of training camp, getting mentions from reporters and teammates seemingly every day for his quick-study of the playbook, his professional demeanor towards practices, and his regular impact on the field. If early reports are any indication, it seems like the exponential growth he showed towards the tail end of his college career has moved seamlessly into his rookie year, and—after he recovers from his dinged up hamstring—we should be seeing him a lot in 2020.
Trent Taylor seems destined for the fourth roster spot. He has the most specific skill set of the bunch (slot receiver) and—when healthy—has been a consistent performer for us and a nice underneath safety blanket for Jimmy G.
Much-maligned Dante Pettis seems to have locked in a roster spot as well. According to practice reports and coaches, he’s shown up with more mass, more physicality, and a renewed sense of focus to his craft. He’s mentioned often on camp reports and seems to have improved his ability to work against the physical coverage he’s struggled with in the past. This is by far his best training camp to date, and a third-year surge would be great news for a young receiving corps that is currently dinged up and may have a committee approach throughout the season.
Up for Grabs: Last rostered (6th) WR. In the running for (likely) the last wideout spot on the active roster (although depending on Aiyuk and Samuel’s status entering week 1, we could start with 7 wideouts) are two guys with skill sets and physical profiles that are nearly the exact opposite of one another.
After two years in Dallas spent mostly returning punts, former Rams top 10 pick Tavon Austin was brought in early in training camp. Drafted high due to his speed and elusiveness with the ball in his hand, Austin has underperformed—never really cementing himself as more than a gadget player—but if there’s a place you’d think he could potentially carve out a niche as a speedy dude who excels after the catch and can carry the ball on reverses and sweeps (a hefty 1,340 yards and 10TDs RUSHING on 6.8 YPC in his career), it could be the Niners. He’s also an accomplished punt returner, which helps his stock if Taylor doesn’t secure the position.
He’s going up against Jauan Jennings, the physical seventh-round pick out of Tennessee who has seemingly impressed with his route-running savvy so far in camp. He hasn’t garnered nearly the mentions of Pettis or Aiyuk, and he seems far from a polished product, but then again, he’s a seventh round rookie. And while it would seem to make sense that a rookie in the last round of a draft held during a pandemic-shortened off-season would be safe on the practice squad, that may not be the case for Jennings—as NFL teams love buyer’s remorse and poaching successful teams, even if those same teams JUST passed on Jennings months ago. Hurd’s injury would seem to present a need for a replacement big slot in Jennings and thus would help his chances of making the active roster. So would the fact that a seventh round rookie has considerably more cost control and potential than a journeyman veteran. But it seems like Austin has made a bigger splash thus far.
In an ideal world, neither of these guys is playing much this year, so I would expect the Niners to lean towards Jennings—giving him limited snaps at big slot and X in situational packages where they can use his size. But if they think they can stash him on the practice squad and/or want Austin’s gadget and return ability, it could go the other way.
TIGHT END
George Kittle reigns supreme, fresh off a contract extension that makes him the highest-paid tight end in the league but is also a very team-friendly, reasonable deal. The Niners have been very public about trying to decrease his workload and add talent behind him this off-season, and they’ve done just that with veteran Jordan Reed and sixth-round pick Charlie Woerner.
While Woerner was drafted mostly for his blocking skills, his athletic profile and former (high school) All-American status as a receiver has always made for some intriguing receiver potential. While I was bearish after the draft about how dangerous he could be in the passing game, it seems like his route-running and athleticism has been turning some heads during training camp. And while training camp chatter is sometimes just that, the Niners quickly reaffirmed the positive takes by—in a move reminiscent of Kittle/Vance McDonald in 2017—cutting last year’s practice squad darling Daniel Helm just two days into camp. I would be thrilled if I’ve mistakenly undersold Woerner’s receiver potential, both because it would mean we have a two-way player backing up Kittle without a lengthy history of injuries, and because it would allow me to make even more fun of Georgia’s horrendous offense.
But where does that leave last year’s backup TE/fullback Ross Dwelley? The San Diego product did an admirable job of filling in for both Kittle and Juice last year, registering two super clutch close out catches and (somehow) a two touchdown performance against the Cardinals. But after injuries have hampered his snaps in training camp, he seems like the odd man out in the tight end room. The Niners opened the season with four tight ends last year, but that was due to the injury status of Garrett Celek. This year, I’d expect Dwelley to start the season as one of our half-dozen practice squad veterans (a COVID season special), where he could be called up in case of injuries at tight end or fullback.
OFFENSIVE TACKLE
So far Trent Williams has been just as advertised and more, rarely losing a snap all training camp despite the strength of our defensive line and routinely coming out ahead in his matchups against Nick Bosa. He’s got great feet and seems rejuvenated by his year off from football (and from finally leaving the Racial Slurs), but his power has stood out both in the run and the passing game. And despite Ferrari IG videos—which he claims were recorded by his brother—Williams has gotten rave reviews for his locker room presence as well. As much of a legend as Joe Staley was for our franchise, Williams will be an upgrade at the left tackle position.
At right tackle, we’re just as secure with Mike McGlinchey, a top-tier run blocker who we’re all hoping can take a step forward as a pass protector in year three. There hasn’t been much talk about him good or bad this training camp. He’s an offensive lineman up against one of the best defensive lines in the league, so that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Shon Coleman’s COVID opt-out and uncertainties on the interior pulling bodies inside have pretty much handed Justin Skule the swing tackle position. He seems like our third tackle once again, but—in comparison to last year where he routinely got worked in training camp—multiple reports say he’s looked much better this time around.
Intrigue: Jaryd Jones-Smith. A 2018 undrafted free agent who spent time in training camp with both the Texans and the Dolphins, Jones-Smith—like Brunskill—moved over to the AAF, where he was eventually spotted by the Niners. He was signed last October and put on the practice squad and so far this camp, has been turning some heads. Part of that is probably because at 6-7 345 pounds he’s the biggest player on the roster, but his quickness and feet are good for a guy for his size, and he’s performed consistently well this year in training camp. What does that mean for this year? Hopefully nothing because our tackles stay healthy all year. But he’s a name to watch moving forward.
OFFENSIVE GUARD
Team ironman and potential future neurosurgeon Laken Tomlinson returns on the left side, where his incredible strength has made for some tough sledding for first-round pick Javon Kinlaw throughout camp. Tomlinson may not be spectacular, but he’s rock solid on the left. But on the other side...
What looked like a wide open competition for the starting right guard spot has run into quite a few roadblocks. Injuries have forced front-runner Daniel Brunskill inside to center, where he’s taken most of his training camp snaps (to some extent, by default). That’s left the majority of first-team snaps to journeyman Tom Compton. In the past two weeks, rookie Colton McKivitz has started splitting those snaps. While he has swing potential, the staff seems to be focusing him on the interior at the moment, and he’s been as quick a study as advertised, getting better as training camp has gone on. Another young guy who is slotted somewhere on the interior and has improved throughout training camp is Ross Reynolds, although his rough start to camp made a climb a bit easier to come by on his part. Just as he started to improve, he went down to injury, and while that injury doesn’t seem long-term, it’s probably best for Reynolds and the Niners if he gets more development time before seeing the field.
CENTER
Ben Garland should return in a matter of weeks, and when he does, he’ll be our starting center. Last year he was a beast in the run game and... okay as a pass protector. But despite his age (32 years old), Garland could still have some growth left in his game. After all, he’s only been a full-time offensive lineman since 2017, playing just as many snaps on offense (42) as he did on defense (42) during the Falcons’ Super Bowl run (he even recorded a safety of Russell Wilson in the playoffs that year).
Meanwhile, with our top two (or three) centers out, Daniel Brunskill has taken nearly all the first-team snaps since Garland went down; this despite still being in competition for the starting right guard position. Those snaps have gone... unevenly to say the least. While I am very much onboard the “Dan Brunskill 2021 starting center hope train,” he’s had some issues in one-on-one pass protection drills—which, to be fair, are an absolute bitch for an undersized interior lineman—and has had problems with snapping consistency—a bad shotgun snap even sailing over Jimmy G’s head for a safety during Friday’s practice.
Both to add depth and (potentially) to let Brunskill get more snaps at right guard where the team would like him to play, the Niners added Hroniss Grasu, a journeyman center with the name of an old-world grandmother wearing a shawl and selling magical charms in a fantasy movie. He’s seen progressively fewer snaps in each of his four years in the league (totaling one in garbage time all of last year), and while he’s settled in a bit after a rocky start to camp, he’s been about as good as you’d expect from a fifth-year center who is jobless come August.
Intrigue: But adding Grasu still meant Brunskill was running the first-team at center, so the Niners—just this weekend—brought in Dakoda Shepley, who is as intriguing of a prospect as one can bring in on the day before training camp ends.
In 2018, Shepley was the fifth overall pick(!)... of the Canadian Football League, joining the Saskatchewan Roughriders after being cut from the Jets’ practice squad. That season he was the CFL’s rookie of the year runner-up (since they’re Canadians perhaps they appreciate interior linemen more with these kind of awards) and was all set to play for the Roughriders again this year until the CFL canceled its season due to COVID concerns. After the cancelation, Shepley chose to opt out of his contract and test the NFL waters. This was August 25th. The very next day, Shepley was on a plane to the Bay Area for the tryout with the Niners. Three days later—on Saturday—he was officially signed. And one day later, he was operating the Niners’ second-team unit for their final practice of training camp, allowing Brunskill to see his most snaps at right guard since the beginning of training camp.
I have no idea how well our Canadian transplant played or if there’s any chance for him to make the active roster or the practice squad. In fact, he could be getting cut as I type this sentence. But I’m hoping we’ve found a gem here, and that’s only in part because Shepley also played Omega Red (of X-Men the Animated Series and Marvel vs. Capcom 2 fame) in Deadpool 2, and—despite his scene getting cut—seemed to have a deep and pure understanding of the character.
What’s that? We’re talking about our would-be sixth-string center’s acting career? That means it’s time for this post to end. Later this week, I’ll dive into defense.