San Francisco 49ers: 5 players who’ll need bounce-back years in 2019
By Peter Panacy
The San Francisco 49ers had a number of players who regressed in 2018, meaning bounce-back efforts this year will be essential to their long-term futures with the red and gold beyond 2019.
Unfortunately, 2018 didn’t quite go according to plan for the San Francisco 49ers and a number of players, many of whom regressed following standout 2017 campaigns the year before.
Some, such as wide receiver Pierre Garçon and linebacker Malcolm Smith, may have put themselves in jeopardy of being off the roster when the regular season rolls around this upcoming September.
Both players underachieved last year. Others, however, are likely to be essential pieces for head coach Kyle Shanahan’s plans this upcoming season.
Unless those struggles continue, of course.
Let’s take a look at five 49ers who’ll be looking to bounce back after relatively lackluster 2018 campaigns.
No. 5: Wide Receiver Trent Taylor
A back injury and subsequent surgery didn’t help his case, but two-year pro wide receiver Trent Taylor was a shadow of his former 2017 self last season.
Just check out the overall numbers side by side:
| Game | Game | Rece | Rece | Rece | Rece | Rece | Rece | Rece | Rece | Rece | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Age | Tm | Pos | G | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Y/R | TD | Lng | R/G | Y/G | Ctch% | Fmb |
| 2017 | 23 | SFO | wr | 15 | 1 | 60 | 43 | 430 | 10.0 | 2 | 33 | 2.9 | 28.7 | 71.7% | 1 |
| 2018 | 24 | SFO | 14 | 0 | 41 | 26 | 215 | 8.3 | 1 | 23 | 1.9 | 15.4 | 63.4% | 1 | |
| Care | Care | 29 | 1 | 101 | 69 | 645 | 9.3 | 3 | 33 | 2.4 | 22.2 | 2 |
Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 1/14/2019.
After being a massive third-down weapon for San Francisco’s offense his rookie season, Taylor largely disappeared from Shanahan’s game planning in 2018. Worse yet, he saw a number of his would-be opportunities out of the slot go to last year’s receiving rookie, Richie James, who has far more explosiveness and speed than Taylor.
James’ presence should spark a nice little competition this training camp, and the hope Taylor winds up being fully recovered from his back issues is vital to consider.
That said, Taylor will need to re-emerge as a go-to weapon in the Niners offense this upcoming year.