It was a tough year for 49ers fans, no doubt. From Super Bowl favorites to missing the playoffs, the fall was dramatic and ugly. For a lot of fans, the question is why? Why did the team fail so often? Why should we have faith in the current regime to not only get back to the Super Bowl, but also to win it? While these are valid questions, 49ers fans need to relax.
The 49ers are Still Talented on Offense
The 49ers will come into next year better on offense. Injuries and holdouts derailed this season. Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk conducted a "hold-in" that had a profound effect on the offensive production. Not practicing at all led to an obviously rusty Aiyuk before he suffered a season-ending injury. Wide receiver Jauan Jennings did his best to fill Aiyuk's role, and did so admirably, but they are two completely different players that change the style of the offense. Jennings is a big target with tenacity and the ability to win one-on-ones. Aiyuk, while also able to win one-on-ones, is fantastic at finding soft spots in defenses.
The wide-open receivers that quarterback Brock Purdy enjoyed throwing to were basically non-existent this season. Deebo Samuel has often been blamed for his lack of production, but in all fairness, he has never been a speedster. With no speed on the perimeter, how can anyone expect him to produce? Defenses were not intimidated downfield, and because of that, they were able to suffocate the playmakers at or near the line.
The Likely Return of Brock Purdy
The idea of former Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart to the 49ers is fun, but pretending like Purdy won't be the starting QB next year is foolish. The entire front office has made their feelings known. They are bringing Purdy back, and that is a good thing. Sure, Purdy has a few weaknesses compared to the big prototypical quarterbacks of the league, and this season showed he needs a supporting cast to win, but what quarterback doesn't? If it was all up to the quarterback, the best quarterback would win the Super Bowl every year.
And yes, while Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes have 10 Super Bowls between them, they both had amazing supporting casts for those wins. Those teams were great at every level, and just so happened to have a great QB. Purdy is good enough to win a Super Bowl, and the 49ers front office is wise enough to recognize that.
The Front Office
Head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch took the reins of an almost talentless team in 2017. Through the draft, they have built a powerhouse. They had a few layups (defensive end Nick Bosa) and a few misses (Shanahan's favorites) but, for the most part, draft better than the majority of the league. Look no further than players like linebacker Dre Greenlaw, tight end George Kittle, safety Talanoa Hufanga, cornerback Deommodore Lenoir, linebacker Fred Warner, and more recently safety Malik Mustapha and offensive lineman Dominick Puni. All of these players were found in the third round or later. Long story short, the 49ers front office knows how to find great players in low places.
As of now, the 2024 season should be looked at as more of an anomaly than anything else, so relax and enjoy the next few months of guessing!
