Grading the San Francisco 49ers Offseason so Far

The San Francisco 49ers chose to go with head coach Chip Kelly this offseason. But aside from that move, the Niners have been relatively quiet through the midway point of March. Niner Noise takes a look at grading the team’s efforts so far.

Aside from signing head coach Chip Kelly to take over for former head coach Jim Tomsula in the wake of a 5-11 record in 2015, the San Francisco 49ers have been mostly quiet despite boasting a huge amount of cap space and a whirlwind of upgrade possibilities that could have been had.

To be fair, targeting big-name free agents hasn’t exactly been an approach from general manager Trent Baalke. Baalke has noted, at multiple points during his 49ers tenure, the best way to build a franchise is via the draft and not by lucrative, expensive free-agent deals.

Baalke appears to be replicating that approach in 2016. San Francisco’s free-agent acquisition list is about as short as it can get. The Niners have brought in two free agents — wide receiver Eric Rogers and quarterback Thad Lewis — and re-signed a number of players to stick around in San Francisco for, at least, one more season.

So what grade should we give the 49ers for their efforts thus far? Can we put such a grade into a proper context given the situation of the team?

In reality, assigning a grade is impossible. But let’s try for it anyway.

We’ll look at San Francisco’s offseason through the middle of March and point out the plusses and minuses from the 49ers’ efforts through this point.

And remember, winning the offseason isn’t exactly a surefire way to ensure success during the regular season.

Next: Coaching Changes