Niner Noise
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San Francisco 49ers: Don’t sleep on these key reinforcements coming back in 2018

By Peter Panacy

SANTA CLARA, CA - JANUARY 01: Joshua Garnett #65 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts after Shaun Draughn #24 of the San Francisco 49ers ran in for a touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks at Levi's Stadium on January 1, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - JANUARY 01: Joshua Garnett #65 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts after Shaun Draughn #24 of the San Francisco 49ers ran in for a touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks at Levi's Stadium on January 1, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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GLENDALE, AZ – OCTOBER 01: Wide receiver Pierre Garcon #15 of the San Francisco 49ers makes a catch over cornerback Patrick Peterson #21 of the Arizona Cardinals during the first half of the NFL game at the University of Phoenix Stadium on October 1, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ – OCTOBER 01: Wide receiver Pierre Garcon #15 of the San Francisco 49ers makes a catch over cornerback Patrick Peterson #21 of the Arizona Cardinals during the first half of the NFL game at the University of Phoenix Stadium on October 1, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) /

The San Francisco 49ers are finishing up the 2017 season strong, but we shouldn’t overlook some key players who’ll be returning to the roster in 2018. Let’s take a look at some notable reinforcements.

For the first 10 weeks of 2017, the San Francisco 49ers were known mostly for close losses and a slew of injuries.

So it made sense the Niners were 1-9 heading into their Week 11 bye this season. And it made even more sense head coach Kyle Shanahan’s squad ranked at, or near the bottom of, most significant offensive and defensive categories up to that point in the season.

Injuries bit San Francisco hard this year. We know this all too well, and the Niners have placed 25 players on injured reserve this season — the most in the NFL through 16 weeks.

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Who knows what the 49ers’ 2017 record would have been if some of those injured players had stayed healthy. What does matter, though, is the Niners have been winning games lately with a crop of younger players.

Oh, and it helps to have quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo doing his thing.

Still, the Niners have a long way to go in order to build a franchise capable of competing in the playoffs. And while free agency and the 2018 NFL Draft will be crucial to the rebuilding process, it’s important to note many of those injured players will be coming back.

And some of them are pretty notable reinforcements.

In this slideshow, we’ll break down the five most-important returnees coming back off IR for 2018, especially why their respective returns will be crucial to San Francisco’s offseason.