The San Francisco 49ers utilized All-Pro tight end George Kittle at an unsustainable rate in 2018. The availability of Antonio Brown and Odell Beckham Jr. provides the Niners with an opportunity to prevent an impending problem before it comes to fruition.
The San Francisco 49ers had a dangerous addiction this season, and one that few offensive masterminds other than 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan would have been able to mask. While that addiction proved to be dangerous for opposing defenses in 2018, a failure to act this offseason would have dire consequences for San Francisco once the 2019 NFL season begins.
Despite failing to meet preseason expectations, the 49ers' passing attack performed surprisingly well in 2018, given the storm the team's offense was forced to weather. The Niners began the season with high hopes at quarterback, despite the fact that the two QBs on their roster possessed just a season's worth of NFL experience.
In Week 1, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo lost his first NFL game. Two weeks later, the 49ers lost their franchise QB for the season. Over the following five games, backup quarterback C.J. Beathard provided more questions -- and losses -- than answers. Eventually, Shanahan was forced to painfully admit defeat and hand the reins of his offense over to a practice squad quarterback. In his first action as a pro, QB Nick Mullens gave the 49ers Faithful a reason to watch again, although many were rooting against him for 2019 draft positioning. Mullens played just well enough to keep his new job for the remainder of the season, despite nearly getting yanked in Week 17 as Beathard warmed up on the Niners' sideline.
Even with its volatility over the course of the season, the quarterback position wasn't the worst part of the 49ers' offense in 2018. Running back also wasn't the team's most problematic position group, despite the preseason loss of top RB Jerick McKinnon or the extensive use of practice squad running back Jeff Wilson, who finished the year as the starter in San Francisco's backfield.
Of all the offensive position groups, hopes were highest this season for the 49ers' wide receiving corps. Yet San Francisco's receivers were an epic failure in 2018. After an extensive preseason competition, this position group was thought to be one of the deepest on the team and an area that wouldn't need to be addressed for the foreseeable future.
Top wide receiver Marquise Goodwin's mind and body were elsewhere due to personal issues and nagging injuries, normally sure-handed wideout Pierre Garçon had his drop-filled season cut short, and third-down specialist Trent Taylor's sophomore year turned into a lost season when the scrappy receiver tried to tough it out after offseason back surgery. By Week 17, San Francisco's starting wideouts included a pair of roster-bubble players, as receiver Dante Pettis missed the second stint of his rookie season. When healthy, Pettis was the 49ers' best wide receiver in 2018, but the bar was set historically low for San Francisco's storied franchise: