Special Teams
Best Player: K Phil Dawson
Worst Player: P Bradley Pinion
We can get into coverage and returns here if we wanted, and the Niners aren’t particularly good there either. But let’s stick to the basics.
One could make the argument veteran kicker Phil Dawson was the team’s offensive MVP last season. And that’s saying something, both good and bad. At 41 years old, Dawson isn’t sure yet if he’ll retire this offseason. If not, he’ll be a free agent. Who knows if the 49ers elect to re-sign him.
#49ers kicker Phil Dawson not announcing retirement. Will go home to Texas, evaluate options, feels he can still play (and I agree)
— Cam Inman (@CamInman) January 2, 2017
Dawson missed just one of his 34 extra-point attempts last year. And he converted on 85.7 of his field-goal attempts. Not bad at all, considering his age.
On the other hand, it’s not entirely fair to lump third-year pro Bradley Pinion into the “worst” category. But his 44-yards-per-attempt average ranked 25th in the NFL. The guy he replaced, Andy Lee, ranked second in the league at 49.1 yards per attempt.
Field position has a lot to do with that, but it’s pretty evident San Francisco downgraded here.