49ers’ 2019 ‘Who Is?’ series: Center Weston Richburg
By Peter Panacy
The San Francisco 49ers made veteran center Weston Richburg a high-profile free agent in 2018, yet he largely underachieved last year. Does he bounce back in 2019? Niner Noise thinks so.
Center Weston Richburg was a big piece of the San Francisco 49ers‘ efforts to remake their offensive line in 2018.
The Niners inked the former New York Giants lineman to a five-year, $47.5 million free-agent contract, which currently stands as the third most-valuable contract awarded to a center entering 2019.
Yet Richburg mostly underwhelmed his first season with San Francisco, starting all but one game last year but failing to deliver the kind of impact his lucrative contract would warrant.
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Generated 6/27/2019.
By season’s end, Pro Football Focus ranked Richburg the No. 33 overall center among 38 qualifiers.
Not good, especially when contrasting the ranking to his contract.
But a knee injury plagued Richburg for most of the season. And while it required offseason surgery, there are plenty of reasons to suspect Richburg bounces back in year two with the red and gold.
Why Weston Richburg Improves in 2019
Richburg’s 2019 PFF grade came in at a lowly 51.9. But check out his overall grades dating back to his rookie year in 2014:
- 2014 — 62.4
- 2015 — 89.4
- 2016 — 77.6
- 2017 — 72.7
Simply put, 2018 marked Richburg’s worst year as a pro, at least according to PFF. And if you link his knee injury to being a prime reason why he struggled, it makes sense to predict a pretty big bounce back in 2019.
On top of that, head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offensive scheme is awfully complex, requiring a keen knowledge of complicated terminology and O-line movements.
A full year immersed in the system should give Richburg a leg up on making those strides this season. So should the likelihood San Francisco will retain all five O-line starters in their respective roles entering Week 1.
Why Weston Richburg Regresses
Richburg has yet to partake in the 49ers’ offseason activities, recovering from offseason surgery. It’s unclear whether or not surgery will cut into his availability for training camp, yet these early reps are still crucial for linemen to develop their much-needed chemistry with each other.
One has to salute Richburg for gutting it out over the majority of 2018 while injured. Yet there’s always the possibility the setback lingers into the regular season, perhaps beyond.
Richburg will turn 28 years old before the season begins, too. And while his 2018 PFF grade wasn’t particularly spectacular, it’s hard to avoid noticing the relative downward trend in the above marks.
Hopefully he bucks that trend this season.
Expected Role with the 49ers in 2019
Fortunately, Richburg has proven to be more than just an above-average lineman for the majority of his career. It’s possible to place his 2018 efforts into the proverbial “injury-plagued anomaly” category, and fans should hope to see the kind of play he enjoyed the previous three years in New York.
Centers are of integral importance to Shanahan’s offense, too, required to be the linchpin around the outside-zone scheme.
This was a primary reason the Niners brought Richburg aboard in 2018. And while they didn’t get the desired results out of the gate, the four remaining years on his deal still leaves plenty of room to live up to his contract.
Next. Strengths, weaknesses & X-factors for each 49ers position in 2019. dark
And if he returns to par, one should expect San Francisco’s O-line to follow suit.
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