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A 5-0 finish to the 2017 season, followed by a productive free agency period this offseason, have left the 49ers with major expectations entering the 2018 campaign. Their uptick in primetime games, tied for the league lead with five, proves the NFL expects them to make the jump from last-place NFC West team to a potential playoff contender.
The majority of the starters are implanted into their roles, but there are several position battles to monitor throughout training camp. Mini-camp provided a glimpse, but as defensive coordinator Robert Saleh says, we will hold out all judgment until pads are involved.
Let’s review the five most interesting position battles entering training camp, tentatively scheduled to begin on Thursday, July 26.
Guard
The guard outlook is in a precarious spot. This offseason, the 49ers signed Jonathan Cooper, who started 13 games with the Dallas Cowboys last season, and Mike Person, the former Indianapolis Colts center with experience at both center and guard. Joshua Garnett lost about 20 pounds this offseason to be better equipped for Kyle Shanahan’s zone-blocking schemes. Add in returning starting left guard Laken Tomlinson, and the 49ers have four potential starters at the two guard positions.
It seems the left tackle spot is Tomlinson’s to lose, while the right tackle position is up for grabs. Person, also slotted as Weston Richburg’s backup at center, and Garnett split first-team reps for a solid chunk of OTAs. Cooper was limited throughout team activities with an injured knee, but he is expected to return fully healthy for the start of training camp.
Person is now on his fifth NFL team since being drafted in 2011. His career has slowly progressed with time and greater opportunity. Last year, he was Pro Football Focus’ third-highest rated center in pass-blocking efficiency, allowing only three quarterback pressures in 194 attempts with the Indianapolis Colts. At 6-foot-4, 300 pounds, Person fits the prototype at guard in Shanahan’s offense.
All reports indicate that Garnett has made solid progress as he vies for the starting job at right guard. After being drafted in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft, he started 11 games for the 49ers in an up-and-down rookie season. A season-ending knee injury displaced him to the injured reserve for all of the 2017 season.
All these variables — Garnett’s return to form, Cooper’s health, and Person’s ability to play guard — make for an intriguing position battle during training camp.
LEO
The lack of proven pass rushers on the 49ers is no secret— San Francisco does not have a defensive lineman on the roster with more than 10 career sacks. The unit is filled with players hungry for opportunity and redemption, including Jeremiah Attaochu, Cassius Marsh, and Eli Harold. Solomon Thomas will look to build off a solid rookie season. You can include Arik Armstead, who played LEO last year, in this group, though he will likely be deployed at big end on base downs in 2018.
Attaochu and Marsh rotated at the LEO, or weakside edge rusher, spot with the first team throughout OTAs. Both players are amid their first offseason with the 49ers. Last season, Attaochu was stuck behind prolific sackers Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram with the Chargers, and Marsh struggled to find stability in New England.
Thomas has worked to add more pass-rush tools to his repertoire. He is expected to play some LEO on base downs and move to big end on passing downs.
Harold has five sacks combined in three career seasons. 49ers coaches hope another year in Saleh’s scheme, where he will be deployed at strong-side linebacker, will serve him well.
The 49ers chose not to draft a dynamic edge rusher this year. Instead, they re-signed Marsh, signed Attaochu, and exercised Armstead’s fifth-year option. Perhaps the biggest reason why they are betting on a group of unproven edge rushers is the immovable force in the middle of their line: DeForest Buckner. The third-year star led all interior defensive linemen with 19 quarterback hits last year. The attention he demands from offensive lines should isolate the edge and give those speed rushers greater sack opportunities.
“Not every team has a [Los Angeles Chargers DE] Joey Bosa or a [Denver Broncos OLB] Von Miller, where they can just take a complete game over,” defensive coordinator Saleh said. “But, there’s a lot of teams that have four really good rushers and they are very effective rushing the passer and that’s what we’re trying to build to be. Who knows, you might be surprised. There might be a star out of the bunch. I have a feeling there might be.”
Backup receivers
You can slot three 49ers receivers as locks to make the 53-man roster: Pierre Garcon, Marquise Goodwin, and Trent Taylor.
The next tier features second-round pick Dante Pettis, who has value in three different receiver spots, as well as in the return game. Kendrick Bourne seems to be in good shape for a roster spot after showing flashes in his rookie season and producing a superb OTAs. Bourne, who will back up Garcon as the X receiver, was arguably the most consistent receiver throughout non-padded team activities, connecting with Jimmy Garoppolo all over the field.
“(He is) deceptively fast but, at the same time, he has some wiggle to him,” Garoppolo said last week. “So, it’s a nice combination. He does a great job of catching the ball. I don’t know how many drops he has had all of OTAs, I don’t want to jinx him. He has done a great job.”
The 49ers consistently stashed six receivers on the 53-man roster last year. That leaves Aaron Burbridge, Aldrick Robinson, Victor Bolden, and Richie James to compete for that sixth spot, assuming Bourne and Pettis perform well in training camp.
And this is where the 49ers coaching staff must prioritize. Do they want a receiver who can also play special teams? Do they retain a sure-handed veteran with ample experience playing for Shanahan, such as Robinson? Do they nurture a player like James, who was drafted in the seventh round, into a playmaker down the road?
Burbridge is one of San Francisco’s top gunners. He had a solid camp as a receiver and special-teamer specialist. Robinson has played for Shanahan at three different stops, and the 49ers head coach likes his sure-handedness. But does he stimulate the receiving corps with Pettis, who has a similar skill set and adds special teams value, now in the fold? It is also possible James will be delegated to the practice squad.
It would be surprising if Victor Bolden makes the team, considering he was buried in the depth chart, then tested positive for PEDs, suspending him four games, earlier this month.
The 49ers receiving corps is not laden with big names, but it is deep. Competition for the backup spots will be heavy.
Third-string running back
Jerick McKinnon and Matt Breida are implanted as the team’s No. 1 and 2 backs. That leaves Joe Williams, Raheem Mostert, Jeremy McNichols, and Jeff Williams to compete for the No. 3 spot.
And once again, the special teams value comes into play. Mostert is a tremendous special teams player and adds value in the receiving game. Williams, the team’s fourth-round pick in 2017, is an explosive runner with touchdown potential at any touch. Williams was expected to back up Carlos Hyde last season, but Breida, an undrafted free agent, assumed that role with an impressive preseason. Since the conclusion of the 2017 season, Williams has added muscle, according to Shanahan, and looks more prepared to play a role in 2018.
“Sometimes, it takes guys time,” Shanahan said. “It’s not always malicious and they’re not trying, it just takes time to understand it and what you have to do day in and day out. I think Joe has made some huge strides between now and last year, and I think that’s why he’ll have a chance.”
It seems the No. 3 spot is Williams’ to lose, with any of the additional backs potentially being stashed to the practice squad.
Linebacker
Shanahan envisioned linebackers Malcolm Smith and Reuben Foster playing alongside each other last year. But Smith tore his pectoral, missing the whole season. As a rookie, Foster emerged as a future centerpiece of the 49ers defense.
This offseason, there were multiple OTAs in which neither player practiced. Smith was briefly held out to nurse a groin injury. Foster awaited a verdict on domestic violence accusations that were eventually dismissed before returning to the team.
Foster and Smith paired up in recent weeks to give a glimpse of Shanahan’s long-awaited duo.
“They balance each other out very well,” Shanahan said. “So, I think it’s a good tandem.”
The 49ers have several additional options vying for playing time. This offseason, they re-signed Brock Coyle to a three-year deal. Korey Toomer, who started eight games on a stingy Chargers front-seven in 2017, signed a one-year deal with the 49ers. Former BYU linebacker Fred Warner, who has already earned high praise for quickly grasping Saleh’s system, was selected in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
The starting duo is far from solidified, though it seems the Foster-Smith combination is the early favorite.
Brad Almquist is KNBR’s 49ers beat writer. Follow Brad on Twitter @Bradalmquist13.
