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5 49ers Who Stand to Benefit the Most from the New Offensive Scheme

By Rich Madrid

Jun 8, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Chip Kelly smiles during minicamp at the San Francisco 49ers Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 8, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Chip Kelly smiles during minicamp at the San Francisco 49ers Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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WR BRUCE ELLINGTON

Oct 22, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Bruce Ellington (10) escapes Seattle Seahawks defensive end Cassius Marsh (91) on a kickoff return during the second quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 22, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Bruce Ellington (10) escapes Seattle Seahawks defensive end Cassius Marsh (91) on a kickoff return during the second quarter at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

I’ve written more in-depth here, but 49ers wide receiver Bruce Ellington also stands to benefit greatly from Kelly’s offense.

He has had a lackluster start to his career so far, seeing the field for a total of 236 offensive snaps since his rookie season in 2014 and has been underwhelming. Of those 236 snaps, he’s touched the ball 26 times, mainly on bubble screens and reverses.

With Kelly in town, Ellington is poised to have a truly standout year racking up yards in Kelly’s offense with his speed and athleticism. Ellington is the kind hybrid space player that Kelly is accustomed to using at Oregon and Philadelphia.

While is not as good (yet) as Desean Jackson or Darren Sproles, it’s a safe bet that Kelly will use him the exact same way.

How exactly would Ellington fit this scheme? One staple of the Kelly offense is the packaged play. In Kelly’s offense, the packaged play combines his base run with quick passes in the same play. These packaged plays, or run-pass options (RPOs), allow the quarterback — and really, the defense — to determine the best option after the snap based on the action of a key defender or two.

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(GIF: NFL GamePass, 49ers run-pass option, Ellington #10 on the bubble screen)

Of Ellington, Kelly said, “[T]hat kid can do some interesting things. Then it’s our job to figure out how we can use that to help us win games.”

I am confident Ellington will find a home in Kelly’s offense and I would be surprised if he doesn’t become a meaningful player for the 49ers in 2016.

Next: Garrett Celek