Niner Noise
FanSided

San Francisco 49ers: 10 Best & Worst Case Scenarios for the 2016 Season

By Peter Panacy

Oct 18, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers free safety Eric Reid (35) jumps up with cornerback Tramaine Brock (26) to break up the pass intended for Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith (89) on the final play during the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Baltimore Ravens 25-20. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 18, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers free safety Eric Reid (35) jumps up with cornerback Tramaine Brock (26) to break up the pass intended for Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith (89) on the final play during the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Baltimore Ravens 25-20. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 11
Next

The San Francisco 49ers have plenty of unanswered questions entering the 2016 NFL season. Niner Noise takes a look at 10 pending situations for the upcoming year and tries to determine both the best and worst possible outcomes.

Aug 28, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; San Francisco 49ers tackle Fou Fonoti (64) reacts after making a tackle for a loss during the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. The 49ers defeated the Texans 40-13. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 28, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; San Francisco 49ers tackle Fou Fonoti (64) reacts after making a tackle for a loss during the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. The 49ers defeated the Texans 40-13. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

A lot could go well for the San Francisco 49ers in 2016. And just as much could go terribly, terribly wrong.

Such is the nature for a team coming off a complete coaching change, an overhaul of the roster and vying to get itself out of the divisional cellar and back to some realm of respectability.

Every NFL team has situations in scenarios that could go either way over the course of a year. And a good chunk of those outcomes will have direct implications on how each team’s season goes. But for the 49ers — a team which ranked at, or near the bottom of, nearly every offensive and defensive category last year — the 2016 scenarios seem to carry just a little more weight than usual.

With the NFL offseason heating up towards training camp and the preseason, let’s take a look at 10 scenarios facing the Niners this year. And let’s try to make out the best- and worst-case scenarios for each.

To start, let’s not get into anything which isn’t going to happen. No, CEO Jed York and his family aren’t going to sell the team. And, no, let’s not jump into something like, “general manager Trent Baalke is fired or extended,” and we break that down into a best/worst-case situation.

Let’s keep it relevant to the field.

Next: No. 10: The Risk of Injury