San Francisco 49ers: 5 Easy Steps to Help Fix the Franchise in 2016

The San Francisco 49ers are trying to fix their franchise after an abysmal 2015 campaign. Yet the Niners are still at risk of being a proverbial “dumpster fire” this season. What steps should the 49ers take to turn things around in 2016?

Things could still go very, very wrong for the San Francisco 49ers in 2016.

This in spite of numerous offseason changes from the top of the organization on down through the roster of players. Yes, the 49ers tabbed Chip Kelly as their next head coach — an obvious upgrade over last year’s selection of former head coach Jim Tomsula.

And the Niners will be able to cash in on a large chunk of cap space to hit free agency. They’ll also have a sizable number of draft picks — as many as 12, to be exact — to attack the 2016 NFL draft.

Still, not all is well in Santa Clara. The recent, and seemingly ongoing, drama surrounding disgruntled quarterback Colin Kaepernick casts a shadow over everything the 49ers are trying to do this offseason. Despite some positives and good pieces on the roster, the Niners still lack sufficient talent at a wide number of positions.

Kelly may provide the needed offensive boost. But he doesn’t exactly come with the best reputation from former players at the NFL level.

And there are the unending questions about the front office and what its true intentions are with this franchise.

So yes, the 49ers could still be a disaster in the making. Turning franchises around isn’t something which happens overnight. It takes time, effort and the right people making the right decisions.

While San Francisco will be tasked with making more than its fair share of good decisions between now and the regular season, here are five relatively easy steps the Niners should take in advance of Week 1 that will help turn things around for this troubled franchise.

Next: Front-Office Transparency