2020 Offseason

[NinerSickness]

Maybe Jalen Hurd could line up in the backfield a bit next season.
I'm guessing Hurd will be willing to line up in the backfield "a few times", but given his decision to convert from RB to WR I doubt he will want to do it a lot.

[b]Hurd will do WTF he's told or get traded.[/b] He's essentially a rookie, and he's not going to be a starter. If Shannahan wants a bench guy / situational player to play snaps on special teams, at RB, TE, FB or at friggn' QB, then that's where he'll play.

Remember you are talking about a guy who walked away from UT, with the NFL draft beckoning, because of his principles in not wanting to be a RB any longer. I wouldn't be surprised if someone like that just walks away again if he's forced to do something that doesn't align with his principles.

If those are his principles, then he needs to GTFO. In college, you can just transfer without much consequence. He also was a starter in college, and he won’t be on the Niners.

In the NFL, you ruin your reputation by pulling that crap, and it costs you tons of money. I don’t care who you are; you do what the coaches ask or get traded / cut. Niners don’t want a guy like that if he pulls a me-first thing.

[Samurai]

[b]Hurd will do WTF he's told or get traded.[/b] He's essentially a rookie, and he's not going to be a starter. If Shannahan wants a bench guy / situational player to play snaps on special teams, at RB, TE, FB or at friggn' QB, then that's where he'll play.

Remember you are talking about a guy who walked away from UT, with the NFL draft beckoning, because of his principles in not wanting to be a RB any longer. I wouldn't be surprised if someone like that just walks away again if he's forced to do something that doesn't align with his principles.

If those are his principles, then he needs to GTFO. In college, you can just transfer without much consequence. He also was a starter in college, and he won’t be on the Niners.

In the NFL, you ruin your reputation by pulling that crap, and it costs you tons of money. I don’t care who you are; you do what the coaches ask or get traded / cut. Niners don’t want a guy like that if he pulls a me-first thing.

I think you are missing the point. The Niners were very familiar with his story and wouldn't waste a 3rd round pick on a guy that they would just say GTFO to. I think Lynch and Shanahan deserve more credit than to think they would draft a guy that they couldn't use. I'm sure they discussed potential scenarios with Hurd and were on the same page; Shanahan has said that he can envision plays with Hurd lined up in the backfield. And I'm sure that given his history, the Niners know that there is a line that Hurd won't cross so that they can avoid any GTFO conversations.

[wco81]

How good would he be as a RB at 6-4, 230?

Downhill running power can work to an extent, as the Titans and Henry showed, but it has its limits.

You figure tall backs run too upright.

[Dodub]

I always find the argument of “upright” runners in the league to be very interesting. Some of the best RB’s that we’ve ever seen were upright runners.

[GS Warriors 1]

Thinking Armstead and Ward have probably played their last snaps in red and gold.

[NinerSickness]

How good would he be as a RB at 6-4, 230?

Downhill running power can work to an extent, as the Titans and Henry showed, but it has its limits.

You figure tall backs run too upright.

Hurd lining up at RB would probably be for specific kinds of plays, and I doubt it would happen more than 1 or 2 times a game.

He'd be a scary receiving threat, and he could still run the ball on occasion. Dude's gonna have to play where they have room for him on plays designed with him (TE, RB, slot, special teams, FB, whatever).

[NinerSickness]

Thinking Armstead and Ward have probably played their last snaps in red and gold.

Ward? Probably.

Armstead should get tagged. They might still trade him even with the tag, but he's worth the tag.

Maybe the Chargers would take him for Joey Bosa.

[wco81]

I think we have to reassess what Buckner will be worth when he's due for a new deal.

He for sure doesn't deserve anything near a JJ Watt or Aason Donald deal.

Maybe 5 years with about $30-35 million guaranteed, because the KC OL dominated the 49ers OL most of the game.


BTW, go back through the season. 49ers had some blowouts but they also had close games, like both Rams games. Early in the season the DL won games, not just with pass rush but on key 3rd and 4th downs they stoned teams trying to pick up short yardage.

The odds are against sustaining that the whole season. One or two of those being converted could have added 1 or 2 more losses.

Saints are going to be dangerous and Dallas has the talent to be a #1 seed. I don't think Rams are going to go away and the Seahawks have a ton of cap space and picks.

So don't take it for granted that the 49ers will contend again next season.

[CrimsonCrew]

Remember you are talking about a guy who walked away from UT, with the NFL draft beckoning, because of his principles in not wanting to be a RB any longer. I wouldn't be surprised if someone like that just walks away again if he's forced to do something that doesn't align with his principles.

If those are his principles, then he needs to GTFO. In college, you can just transfer without much consequence. He also was a starter in college, and he won’t be on the Niners.

In the NFL, you ruin your reputation by pulling that crap, and it costs you tons of money. I don’t care who you are; you do what the coaches ask or get traded / cut. Niners don’t want a guy like that if he pulls a me-first thing.

I think you are missing the point. The Niners were very familiar with his story and wouldn't waste a 3rd round pick on a guy that they would just say GTFO to. I think Lynch and Shanahan deserve more credit than to think they would draft a guy that they couldn't use. I'm sure they discussed potential scenarios with Hurd and were on the same page; Shanahan has said that he can envision plays with Hurd lined up in the backfield. And I'm sure that given his history, the Niners know that there is a line that Hurd won't cross so that they can avoid any GTFO conversations.

The Joe Williams experiment causes me some concerns with Hurd. Hurd is - perhaps wisely - very conscious of his health. I don't have a huge problem with him asking to switch from RB; that's a smart decision. As a big guy, he took a lot of punishment as a RB, and WRs have a much higher career salary ceiling (longer careers, more money on average). But Hurd doesn't appear to be one to play through injuries, and I'm surprised/concerned that he didn't get back on the field this year.

[CrimsonCrew]

Thinking Armstead and Ward have probably played their last snaps in red and gold.

We can definitely keep one of them. I think they probably tag Armstead (I'd at least listen to trade offers) and try to make another SB run with this same front-four next year. Ward is less certain, but there really hasn't been much of a safety market over the past couple seasons except at the very top. We might be able to hold onto him on a long-term deal that's similar to his pricetag for the one year he just played (though we may not be able to afford that at this point). If not, hopefully Moore can fill in ably after a year of playing the position. But for the PI play where he was in great position, just didn't look back for the ball (shades of Witherspoon, but with better coverage), Moore played well yesterday in what appeared to be his most action of the season.

[CrimsonCrew]

How good would he be as a RB at 6-4, 230?

Downhill running power can work to an extent, as the Titans and Henry showed, but it has its limits.

You figure tall backs run too upright.

Hurd lining up at RB would probably be for specific kinds of plays, and I doubt it would happen more than 1 or 2 times a game.

He'd be a scary receiving threat, and he could still run the ball on occasion. Dude's gonna have to play where they have room for him on plays designed with him (TE, RB, slot, special teams, FB, whatever).

The absence of the RB in the passing game is odd. That's usually a staple of the WCO, and we have made very limited use of it this year. Part of that is probably Garoppolo, who seems much more likely to force a ball into triple coverage to his first or second read than check down to the back. But we also seem to use RBs as the primary read on a very limited basis. I've got to assume that's because of the players we have and not Shanahan's preferences. After all, he pursued McKinnon for a reason. Still, I would have loved to have seen a couple wheel routes, checkdowns to RBs in the flat, and even a screen or two in the SB. Given KC's issues at LB and in the secondary, I think those could have been very effective.

Hurd gives the team added flexibility if he's on the field. With him, Samuel, and a RB with receiving ability on the field at the same time, you can really force a D into some tough choices. Any of those guys could line up in the backfield and present a legit threat - maybe not to break one the distance, but to pick up 5+ yards. And they would all pose a threat as receivers. Hurd in particular could lead block a bit. I'd love to see what Shanahan can do with him, but we need him out there. Taylor, too.

[CrimsonCrew]

I wonder if the team gives Garland a shot at RG after playing pretty well at center this year.

[CrimsonCrew]

Niners don't think they can afford Armstead:

https://www.49erswebzone.com/articles/134718-49ers-would-re-sign-armstead-believe-afford-price-report/

I will say, we aren't going to be very active in FA this year due to cap concerns, so there might be something to be said for letting a lot of our FAs walk this year. Armstead, Ward, and Sanders should all fetch decent compensatory picks, and stocking up on those might allow us to restock the cupboard a little bit after a year in which we'll possibly have the fewest picks (and certainly the fewest value picks) in the league. That said, losing all three of those guys would of course be a real detriment to this team.

[Samurai]

I wonder if the team gives Garland a shot at RG after playing pretty well at center this year.

I think there should be an open competition for the RG spot this off-season; Brunskill also deserves a shot to be the starter. Garland seems to be a better run blocker than a pass blocker and for the sake of Jimmy's health, he will have to improve his pass protection if he wants to be a starter at either G or C. I'm certainly ready to move on from Mike Person.

[a8bil]

I, for one, say goodbye to Armstead. Aside from not liking players who excel only in their contract year, Armstead (i) is not stout against the run; and (ii) often gave up containment or gap assignments to pursue sacks. Not saying he's bad....it's just that he's going to demand too much money for what he brings to the table.

[a8bil]

How good would he be as a RB at 6-4, 230?

Downhill running power can work to an extent, as the Titans and Henry showed, but it has its limits.

You figure tall backs run too upright.

Hurd lining up at RB would probably be for specific kinds of plays, and I doubt it would happen more than 1 or 2 times a game.

He'd be a scary receiving threat, and he could still run the ball on occasion. Dude's gonna have to play where they have room for him on plays designed with him (TE, RB, slot, special teams, FB, whatever).

The absence of the RB in the passing game is odd. That's usually a staple of the WCO, and we have made very limited use of it this year. Part of that is probably Garoppolo, who seems much more likely to force a ball into triple coverage to his first or second read than check down to the back. But we also seem to use RBs as the primary read on a very limited basis. I've got to assume that's because of the players we have and not Shanahan's preferences. After all, he pursued McKinnon for a reason. Still, I would have loved to have seen a couple wheel routes, checkdowns to RBs in the flat, and even a screen or two in the SB. Given KC's issues at LB and in the secondary, I think those could have been very effective.

Hurd gives the team added flexibility if he's on the field. With him, Samuel, and a RB with receiving ability on the field at the same time, you can really force a D into some tough choices. Any of those guys could line up in the backfield and present a legit threat - maybe not to break one the distance, but to pick up 5+ yards. And they would all pose a threat as receivers. Hurd in particular could lead block a bit. I'd love to see what Shanahan can do with him, but we need him out there. Taylor, too.

I can't remember where I read it, but Shanahan's view is that every skill player on the field needs to be both a running and receiving threat. Those are the skills he's looking for in his players. In that regards, Hurd fits his prototype to a tee. Big target who should be able to get YAC yardage.

[NinerSickness]

Don't take this as an endorsement. This is just desperation talk...

The one thing Jimmy is missing is a deadly, #1 WR.

Do the Niners throw up a hail Mary & try to make a run with... you know who?

https://www.tmz.com/2020/01/23/antonio-brown-arrest-assault-moving-truck-hollywood-florida/

[nismolos]

I have a feeling Jerrick Mckinnon is going to be our starter next season...basing that on Shanahan’s decision to bring him (and only a select few other IR guys) to the super bowl festivities. Goodwin was left off and he actually played this season. If they can bring him back on a discount for year 3 i think ill take that gamble. I read somewhere that he felt like he had a new knee after a procedure to shave down a bone spur recently. Id prefer a healthy Mckinnon over breaking the bank for Leveon Bell

[Dodub]

I have a feeling Jerrick Mckinnon is going to be our starter next season...basing that on Shanahan’s decision to bring him (and only a select few other IR guys) to the super bowl festivities. Goodwin was left off and he actually played this season. If they can bring him back on a discount for year 3 i think ill take that gamble. I read somewhere that he felt like he had a new knee after a procedure to shave down a bone spur recently. Id prefer a healthy Mckinnon over breaking the bank for Leveon Bell

They brought literally everyone to the Super Bowl. MCKinnion is as good as gone. They brought guys who haven’t played a snap all season

[a8bil]

I don't see McKinnon as part of the 49ers future. It would be hard to get more production from your RBs than the 49ers got this year. That salary could be applied elsewhere with far more effect.