In their release of NFL record projections for the 2017 season, USA Today Sports had the San Francisco 49ers as the second worst team in the league, behind only the New York Jets.
Coming off a horrendous 2016 campaign that saw them go 2-14, the San Francisco 49ers are in a spot they haven’t been in nearly a decade — the absolute bottom of the barrel of the NFL.
That prompted the sweeping of house, with general manager Trent Baalke and head coach Chip Kelly both being fired.
In came new general manager John Lynch and new head coach Kyle Shanahan, alongside with new personnel departments both in the front office and on the coaching staff. It was the first step in a full rebuild, from top to bottom.
San Francisco 49ers
Since the pair have been inserted as the new faces of the organization, the consensus is that things are going smoothly. Free agency went well for the team, as aggressiveness met efficiency in terms of spending — holes were filled at needed positions and the team still retains a healthy amount of cap space.
From the wide receiver position receiving a much-needed boost with the additions of Pierre Garçon and Marquise Goodwin (remember the team had essentially one capable person of playing the position last season), to the signing of the open market’s best fullback, the 49ers roster is more attractive than it was last year at this point.
Complementing the additions made in free agency was the NFL Draft, where San Francisco walked away with a haul. The gouging of the Chicago Bears to move down a mere one spot made headlines, with the transaction leading to the acquiring of another first-round draft pick that became linebacker Reuben Foster. The team, according to Lynch, selected two of their top three players on their big board in defensive lineman Solomon Thomas and Foster.
Thomas and Foster have been the recipients of some hype this offseason, the former working out with notable pass-rushers in today’s game and the latter being predicted to be a serious contender NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
All this still has the formula of terrible team, at least according to Nate Davis of USA Today Sports. In Davis’ projections, he has the 49ers finishing 2-14, finishing as the second worst overall team behind the 1-15 New York Jets. Here’s what Davis wrote:
"San Francisco 49ers (2-14): Even if the records match, they should be a better team than Chip Kelly’s 2-14 club from 2016. But the talent base is largely deficient and so is the players’ familiarity with what new coaches want them to do on either side of the ball."
Talent and unfamiliarity will be the Achilles heel of the team in Davis’ eyes, and there is a point to be made there. The offense personnel is essentially brand-new, the front seven is overall quite young and inexperienced, and there are entirely new schemes on both sides.
Let’s take a look the 49ers schedule in 2017:
Week 1 — Carolina | Week 2 at Seattle— | Week 3 — Los Angeles Rams | Week 4 — at Arizona | Week 5 — at Indianapolis | Week 6 — at Washington | Week 7 — Dallas | Week 8 — at Philadelphia | Week 9 — Arizona | Week 10 — New York | Week 11 — Bye | Week 12 — Seattle | Week 13 — at Chicago | Week 14 — at Houston | Week 15 — Tennessee | Week 16 — Jacksonville | Week 17 — at Los Angeles Rams |
Personally, I expect the team to be in the range of 4-6 wins. Anything more is a far reach, but admittedly, a 2-14 season is entirely plausible all things considered.
Next: San Francisco 49ers: Time to curb the enthusiasm heading into 2017
With a new regime in place and a makeover of the roster, the 2017 campaign is going to be a sort of experiment for the 49ers. How does it all sort out will be an intriguing storyline to watch for all season.