3 underrated questions that could swing the 49ers’ Super Bowl hopes
It would be easy, given the level of attention Brock Purdy’s recovery from elbow surgery has received, to think the 49ers’ Super Bowl hopes rest squarely on him carrying his stunning performances from last season into his first full year as the starter. For as much as the Niners need a quarterback who can calmly […]
It would be easy, given the level of attention Brock Purdy’s recovery from elbow surgery has received, to think the 49ers’ Super Bowl hopes rest squarely on him carrying his stunning performances from last season into his first full year as the starter.
For as much as the Niners need a quarterback who can calmly operate Kyle Shanahan’s offense as Purdy did in 2023, there are several underrated elements of the team that could have an outsized influence on how far a Super Bowl-ready roster goes in the coming campaign.
None will attract as much attention as Purdy’s continuation of his journey from last pick in the 2022 draft to arguably the face of a perennial NFC contender but, if the 49ers can’t provide positive answers to the following questions, their hopes of lifting the Lombardi Trophy could be sunk.
Will thin O-Line hold up?
Last year, doubts about the 49ers’ offensive line proved unfounded as a completely revamped interior performed excellently, seemingly setting San Francisco up extremely well for the future on that side of the trenches.
Yet the 49ers head into 2023 facing renewed concerns up front, though they do not pertain to the starters on the interior.
The primary question concerns right tackle Colton McKivitz, who is stepping up to the starting role for Mike McGlinchey, who left for the Broncos in free agency.
McKivitz’s two starts at tackle have come on the left side but, despite his relative inexperience, the 2020 fifth-round pick, can’t afford to have any growing pains and develop into a weak link who negatively impacts the 49ers’ offensive production.
Beyond McKivitz, the question is purely one of depth, or lack thereof. The 49ers’ backups were, as a collective, not impressive in the preseason until they faced the Chargers in the finale.
Veteran Jon Feliciano is their most reliable reserve and will be first in line for a promotion if there are any injuries at guard or center. However, swing tackle Jaylon Moore endured a difficult preseason in which he was hindered by a knee issue and guard Nick Zakelj was at best up and down, with several other players who fared better in the exhibitions missing out on the roster.
There is more experience at tackle in the form of Matt Pryor but the reality is the 49ers are likely in trouble if any of their starters go down. Offensive line coach Chris Foerster will have a big job on his hands should that scenario come to pass.
Can they find another edge?
Nick Bosa’s holdout has overshadowed much of the 49ers’ preparations for the campaign and one reason, aside from the Defensive Player of the Year’s status as the most dominant edge rusher in football, why their ability to get him signed to a contract extension before Week 1 is such a pressing concern is a paucity of additional impact players at the spot.
The Niners are hopeful Drake Jackson takes a year-two leap after spending the offseason adding weight and improving his conditioning following a disappointing end to his rookie year.
Yet a hamstring injury kept him out of most of the preseason, and Jackson may well have ceded the starting defensive end spot across from Bosa to Clelin Ferrell, who made several splash plays against the Raiders and Broncos and appears on track to be another successful reclamation project for defensive line coach Kris Kocurek.
After that pair, the only other option on the 53 is Austin Bryant – Kerry Hyder Jr. is listed as a defensive end but played more inside last season – who is himself hoping to benefit from Kocurek’s tutelage after a tough start to his career in Detroit.
Bryant led the 49ers with five pressures in preseason, per Pro Football Focus.
Following the signing of Javon Hargrave in free agency, the 49ers are likely to pin their pass-rush hopes on the combination of a fearsome interior led by Hargrave and Arik Armstead and Bosa’s arguably unmatched prowess off the edge being enough for them to consistently derail opposing passing games.
It’s a smart bet to make, but the odds of the 49ers’ maintaining their position as one of the best pass-rushing teams in the NFL will be much better if another defensive end, regardless of whether it is Jackson, Ferrell or Bryant, steps up to ensure it is not all on Bosa to provide the disruption off the edge.
And the chances of Steve Wilks’ group holding firm as the league’s premier defense will be greatly improved if they can find a solution to a lingering issue in a defensive backfield that otherwise looks well-placed to provide improved support to the front.
Is there a nickel solution?
The 49ers appeared to have found a solution at the nickel spot when they signed Isaiah Oliver as an apparent replacement for Jimmie Ward, the previously longest-tenured Niner on the team who signed for the Texans in free agency.
Ward’s switch from safety to nickel proved a success, but the early signs of the transition to Oliver starting at the position in preseason were not positive, and now he likely will not enter the season as first string.
Since Oliver’s hugely disappointing display in the preseason opener, the 49ers have been open about trying different options at nickel.
The option that looks to have stuck is one that involves starting outside corner Deommodore Lenoir kicking inside to nickel – where he played before Emmanuel Moseley’s injury last season – on obvious passing downs. Ambry Thomas, who has won widespread praise for his play in camp and preseason, would take Lenoir’s spot on the outside.
Oliver is not out of the picture and is likely to see time as the ‘big nickel’, a role in which the 49ers would utilize his frame to match him up against tight ends and bigger-bodied wideouts inside.
But the 49ers also have other alternatives, the most obvious being rookie safety Ji’Ayir Brown. San Francisco’s top pick looked remarkably assured in his first NFL action at free safety in preseason but also played 10 snaps in the slot.
Irrespective of what direction the 49ers ultimately pick, they can’t afford to have sub-par play in the slot, which has increasingly become the domain of premier pass-catchers across the NFL.
For all Ward’s impressive play last season, San Francisco’s defense ranked 17th in Expected Points Added per play when opposing offenses targeted the slot, according to Sports Info Solutions.
There is clear room for improvement at nickel. The 49ers need to find a solution at inside corner that can provide it.
Kyle Shanahan set to enter uncharted territory with Nick Bosa holdout
It’s a decision he’s never had to make.
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