Coming off an amazing stretch during which the 49ers had 13 new starters out of the 22 players who took the field on offense and defense in their season opener for three consecutive years, San Francisco had fewer than half that many new faces in its starting lineup this year for the team’s season opener at Tampa Bay on Sept. 8.
Now, that’s stability. And it’s the kind the 49ers have been searching for throughout the last half of this decade, ever since they were competing for NFC West titles and conference championships three head coaches ago.
Coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have been putting the pieces in place to build a contender since they arrived in 2017, but not many new parts were needed this year for the team’s leadership tandem to feel comfortable with a lineup they feel has the team set up to win.
But there are some notable changes from last year, mostly with newcomers brought in by the organization during the off season to fill specific positions and roles. Five of San Francisco’s six new starters on offense and defense against the Buccaneers were brought in earlier this year during free agency or the NFL draft, with the other starter a young player getting an opportunity to step in due to a recent injury to a projected starter.
The 49ers also have a newcomer to handle their punting duties in rookie fourth-round draft pick Mitch Wishnowsky — just the third regular punter to kick for the 49ers in the past 15 years.
Here, the Niner Report takes a look at every new starter — and the new punter — and where each stands as the team moves through the early part of its schedule, giving a bottom-line determination whether San Francisco is better or worse at the position now than the 49ers were when the season started last year.
WR DEEBO SAMUEL
Denne historien er fra October 2019-utgaven av Niner Report.
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Denne historien er fra October 2019-utgaven av Niner Report.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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EIGHT IS ENOUGH
Set 49ers lineup still has several new starters
Calling all cornerbacks
Loss of Verrett exposes 49ers’ thin depth at CB
Always finding their way to run
49ers system accomplished at developing homegrown talent
ANOTHER COMEBACK?
Resilient veteran Verrett to miss rest of season
TOP 10 Rookie running backs
THE BACK LIST
STOCK UP STOCK DOWN
DEOMMODORE LENOIR | AMBRY THOMAS
Will Mostert run for 49ers again?
Raheem Mostert was primed this year to be the centerpiece of one of the NFL’s most dynamic offenses, featured as the lead performer in San Francisco’s grinding rushing attack while making his climb among the league’s top running backs.
THE WONDER OF WARNER
49ers make All-Pro star highest-paid LB in NFL
Making the right choice at QB
In the weeks that follow after you read this — and perhaps sometime even sooner than that — Kyle Shanahan and the rest of the 49ers organization will make a titanic decision that will have present, future and perhaps even everlasting implications for the franchise. It will chart the course for the team’s pivotal 2021 season while determining whether San Francisco really does have the juice to return to powerhouse status and again be considered a legitimate contender to get back to the Super Bowl.
TOP 10 Linebacker seasons
Fred Warner vaulted to stardom with a spectacular 2020 season — and the 49ers rewarded him this summer with a $95.225 million deal that makes him the highest-paid inside linebacker in NFL history. By today’s standards, Warner’s performance last year was worth the money as he posted an Approximate Value of 19 — matching the highest score ever recorded by a San Francisco defender according to a Pro Football Reference formula that puts a single number on each player-season across all positions since 1960. Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman (twice) also had seasons with an AV of 19 as they dominate this list of the greatest individual seasons by a linebacker in 49ers history.
