2023 ended like every San Francisco 49ers playoff run since 1994 has; with heartbreak. Kyle Shanahan earned the chance to avenge his Super Bowl 54 loss against the Kansas City Chiefs. Just like four years earlier, he saw an early lead dissipate into a cloud of red-and-orange confetti.
That was a brutal finish, but it’s not the end of the road for the Niners. San Francisco will bring back most of the foundation that pushed it to Super Bowl 58, from Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey to Nick Bosa and Charvarius Ward. While teams like the Detroit Lions, Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Rams may be coming up in their rear view, the rest of the NFC remains a spilled bag of Superballs, bouncing off each other with few predictable patterns.
That leaves a clear path back to prominence. But the 49ers will have to address these three problems first.
1
Reinforce a fading offense line
Trent Williams remains awesome, Super Bowl penalties aside. He’s 35 years old but has been a first-team All-Pro each of his last three seasons in San Francisco. A contingency plan behind him would be nice, but not a priority.
Addressing the team’s needs elsewhere up front, however, is. The guard positions are ripe for an upgrade after middling returns from the trio of Spencer Burford, Aaron Banks and Jon Feliciano. Right tackle Colton McKivitz’s first season as a full time starter was less than ideal. When opponents attacked the pocket, they knew exactly which blockers to target.
The Chiefs knew to crash through the right side of that line and watch chaos unfold. San Francisco wasted what should have been a go-ahead overtime touchdown because Kansas City’s front found a way to allow Chris Jones, by far the most impactful player in the team’s front four, to slide into the pocket completely untouched.
the Chiefs figured out a way to show blitz and confuse the Niners badly enough that no one blocked Chris Jones on the biggest play of the game pic.twitter.com/CNHZnzdvHS
— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) February 12, 2024
Pressure was a constant in San Francisco’s biggest missed opportunities in the Super Bowl. Here’s Chris Jones, again, taking a touchdown off the board by being an orc.
give Chris Jones all the money. saved 6 points from 25 yards away pic.twitter.com/ig9EcXs4CL
— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) February 12, 2024
If nothing else, the Niners have to reinforce the right side of their line. But even with Brock Purdy’s minimal rookie contract they’re projected to be more than $3 million over next year’s salary cap, per Over the Cap. Fortunately, restructures can free up a ton of money — upwards of $50 million in spending room, if they want it. If San Francisco doesn’t want to wait and hope a blue chip blocker falls to the 31st pick, the team can toss money at guys like Trent Brown, Jonah Williams, Tyron Smith or others.
2
Add cornerback depth
Charvarius Ward blossomed into a star in the Bay Area. His 23 passes defensed led the NFL in 2023. His 64.5 passer rating allowed was the lowest among any defensive back who faced more than 80 targets in the regular season. Ji’Ayir Brown was useful as a rookie and All-Pro Tanaloa Hufanga will return from injury for 2024.
However, not all is well in the secondary. The combination of Ambry Thomas and Isaiah Oliver struggled to fill in the gaps as the team’s third cornerback, giving up a combined passer rating of 99.7 when targeted. This created gaps that quarterbacks like Jared Goff, Patrick Mahomes and, at least early on, Jordan Love were able to exploit in the postseason.
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) January 21, 2024
The bulk of the secondary, sans 33-year-old safety Tashaun Gipson, is slated to return for 2024. Most of those returning are 27 years old or younger. There’s a chance there’s some organic growth, particularly as Thomas enters his fourth season in the league.
Why risk it? The Niners will have cap space to add a more reliable presence behind Ward and Deommodore Lenoir, who allowed just a 75.2 passer rating in coverage last year. San Francisco could throw cash at Kenny Moore, opt to buy low on Jalen Mills or Dane Jackson or even follow their Ward blueprint by stealing away one of the Chiefs’ top cornerbacks should L’Jarius Sneed fail to come to an extension with Kansas City. They could also turn to the draft to find a mid-round gem. They could do both; either way, adding more depth to the secondary is a priority.
3
Reinforce a traditionally deep defensive line
Nick Bosa, Javon Hargrave and Arik Armstead will all return in 2024. That’s great.
Chase Young, Randy Gregory and Clelin Ferrell will not, which threatens to create a vortex of depth up front. While that group wasn’t a constant chain of chaos like the three men before them, they were a valuable piece of a perpetually deep front four that sets the tone for the entire Niners defense. Young, in particular, was a problem for the Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
oh my god chase young pic.twitter.com/sLXG2WU0yZ
— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) February 12, 2024
Fortunately, San Francisco has been here before. The Niners have swapped out veterans for a combination of big name additions and lesser known talent to keep their two-deep healthy. Javon Kinlaw and Maurice Hurst didn’t work out, but guys like Hargrave, Arden Key, DJ Jones and Charles Omenihu did.
Together, last year’s defensive front blitzed 18 percent of the time — third-lowest in the NFL. It generated pressure 21 percent of the time, which ranked 17th but showcases how useful that deep, grinding front can be when it comes to shrinking pockets without sacrificing extra defenders. Keeping seven defenders in coverage means crowding the middle of the field and a 79.6 passer rating against, which was the fourth-lowest in the NFL.
Who fits the bill? If Young departs for a bigger payday elsewhere, San Francisco could fill the gap at defensive end with veterans like Yannick Ngakoue or Denico Autry. Defensive tackles like Grover Stewart or Quinton Jefferson could help keep guys like Hargrave and Armstead fresh.
One of the distinguishing features of Kyle Shanahan’s Niner teams has been a deep core of defensive lineman who can create pressure while rotating through the lineup. That’s a shelf that needs restocking in 2024, but general manager John Lynch has proven capable of finding the talent he needs to keep that tradition alive.
