“If I’m the 49ers, I Would…”: Steps to Rebuild San Francisco in 2016
By Peter Panacy
If I were the 49ers, I would trim the fat
No, I’m not talking about weight loss and physical conditioning — although that may help, and it’s likely already a plan under head coach Chip Kelly.
This slide means getting rid of players who haven’t made the impact needed.
Similar to the first slide, roster spots are precious. And, at times, teams can find the proverbial “diamonds in the rough” simply by opening up competition for guys hungry to get things going.
San Francisco has a young team. It also has players not cut out for contributions at the pro level.
Outside linebacker Corey Lemonier is one such name. The fourth-year pro has just one sack and 27-career tackles over three seasons with the 49ers. He lost his depth-chart spot to then-rookie Eli Harold last season, and it doesn’t look likely he’ll ever climb as high again.
The same could be said of tight end Vance McDonald.
For a refresher…
McDonald can block. That’s OK. But he never materialized into the H-back player the 49ers were hoping could replace former tight end Vernon Davis.
With younger guys at the position — Blake Bell and Busta Anderson — McDonald’s roster spot isn’t of much use when the ball comes his way.
Next: Start Eli Harold and DeForest Buckner in Week 1