San Francisco 49ers: John Lynch, Kyle Shanahan Signing Free Agents to Teach Scheme to Rest of Roster

The San Francisco 49ers have been one of the most active NFL teams in free agency this offseason. But there’s a method to general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan’s madness — to sign players familiar with the coach’s scheme and to teach it to the rest of the roster and future players.

Those unfamiliar with the San Francisco 49ers and what needs to take place in Santa Clara might look at general manager John Lynch’s recent actions in NFL free agency as a wild splurge on the market.

Day one of free agency is in the books, and the Niners added a total of 10 players — including three in the days leading up to March 9 — without having to totally break the bank.

Not like San Francisco had to worry about cap space anyway.

San Francisco 49ers

Looking at the names, especially on offense, the moves make perfect sense. Only a handful of the 49ers’ free-agent acquisitions might make Pro Bowl-caliber impacts. But that’s not the point.

The point is to relay head coach Kyle Shanahan’s system and, to a lesser extent, defensive coordinator Robert Saleh’s scheme to the rest of the roster, both incumbent and pending.

Before we get into the names, let’s understand Shanahan’s offense is complex. Just look at what SB Nation’s Jenna Thomas wrote about the now-49ers head coach:

"Shanahan is a good fit to turn the 49ers offense around, though the improvement may not be immediate. His scheme is complex. Matt Ryan did settle in and turned in an MVP-caliber performance after an additional year to learn the system, but it took time to adjust. The 49ers actually have a longer road to offensive improvement than Atlanta did. San Francisco finished last season ranked No. 31 in the league for total offense. In Atlanta, Shanahan inherited Ryan and Julio Jones, as well as Devonta Freeman, who wasn’t yet a household name but certainly had the potential to be. Shanahan will need to build an offensive line that is capable of executing his zone blocking scheme, and he’ll need to add some playmakers on offense."

Yes, adding players who understand Shanahan’s offense is a must. Lynch knows this too, which is why so many of San Francisco’s recent free-agent additions went this route.

And as I dutifully pointed out:

So let’s start to make sense of it all.

Tracing New 49ers Players’ Roots to Kyle Shanahan

Veteran wide receiver Pierre Garcon is certainly one of two high-profile signings John Lynch made. And Kyle Shanahan was Garcon’s offensive coordinator when the latter signed with the Washington Redskins as a free agent back in 2012.

Garcon was limited to only 10 games that year but ended up amassing an NFL-leading 113 receptions and 1,346 receiving yards a year later.

Is Garcon going to be that effective in San Francisco? Probably not. But he gets the offense. He’ll teach it too.

The same could be said of new wide receiver Aldrick Robinson, who spent last season with Shanahan and the Atlanta Falcons.

Fellow wideout addition Marquise Goodwin, who has not played under Shanahan’s tutelage, does have speed to burn. And according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Shanahan loves speed:

Yet another move that makes sense.

Guys like fullback Kyle Juszczyk may not have had experience working under Shanahan. But without getting too deep in the Xs and Os, we can establish how important San Francisco’s running game will be in 2017 and beyond.

Tight end Logan Paulsen — who was with Shanahan in Washington between 2010 and 2013 — is one of the better run blockers in the NFL. Juszczyk, meanwhile, will likely be more of an H-back player — in the mold of former 49ers tight end Delanie Walker.

Brian Hoyer and the 49ers Quarterback Situation

San Francisco was poised to enter free agency with zero quarterbacks on its roster. The Niners now have two, after signing former Chicago Bears free agents Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley.

Barkley is likely a No. 3 or 4 QB entering training camp. That’s fine. It takes pressure off John Lynch to draft a quarterback this April. At least a notable one.

But Hoyer is yet another player with ties to Kyle Shanahan. San Francisco’s head coach was Hoyer’s offensive coordinator in 2014 with the Cleveland Browns — one of only two seasons in which Hoyer was a regular starter:

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/10/2017.

As was the case on the previous slide, Hoyer has experience in Shanahan’s system. And while he’s not going to be the franchise savior, Hoyer is at least a bridge to the next long-term QB.

And if that next quarterback is a rookie draftee, Shanahan will need someone who can act as a mentor and teacher.

For what it’s worth, current Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins’ desire to join the 49ers also speaks to Shanahan’s system and the desire to both teach and work within it.

Defensive Additions via Free Agency

San Francisco has largely stocked up on offense during the initial phases of free agency. This should lead us to believe general manager John Lynch will reinforce the defensive side of the ball via the NFL Draft.

But as is the case on offense, veterans will likely have to teach the younger players how to adjust to defensive coordinator Robert Saleh’s scheme.

It’s why the 49ers brought in free agents with ties to Saleh as well. Namely linebacker Malcolm Smith.

Smith has ties to Saleh when both were with the Seattle Seahawks between 2011 and 2013 — the height of Seattle’s defensive dominance in the NFC West.

While Smith might not be a Pro Bowl-caliber addition to the Niners, he does understand the same kind of base defense — a 4-3 scheme with 3-4 personnel — the Seahawks featured and the 49ers are trying to emulate.

Additionally, nose tackle Earl Mitchell has ties with Saleh. Both were with the Houston Texans when Mitchell kicked off his NFL career in 2010.

Tying It All Together

As our good friend over at 49ers Webzone, Al Sacco, noted, this is going to take time. San Francisco’s roster isn’t going to be overhauled overnight:

To achieve this, Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch are largely bringing in free agents capable of teaching younger players, potentially draftees, the nuances of both Shanahan and Saleh’s systems.

It reminds me — for you history majors, like me, out there — of when George Washington brought in Baron Von Steuben to teach the Continental Army European-style drills and tactics during the American Revolution.

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Von Steuben would teach a core group what to do. And those soldiers, in turn, would pass those lessons onto others until the entire army knew the tactics.

It must have worked. The U.S. won the Revolutionary War, right?

The 49ers are going through their own revolution, I suppose. It’s going to take time as well, which helps us make sense of some of the free-agent pickups.

And as the months and weeks count down to Week 1 of the 2017 season, we can hope the Niners’ depleted roster is revamped, educated and reinforced en route to the quest for a sixth Lombardi Trophy at some point down the not-so-distant road.