SF 49ers should tank over remaining 6 games in 2020

The players and coaches won’t want to, but there’s an argument the SF 49ers would be better off tanking over their final six games in 2020.

Any win the SF 49ers manage to engineer over the rest of 2020 is going to be proverbial “fools gold.”

Yes, tanking is dumb. Players understand their reputations and future contracts are on the line. Coaches hate seeing extra losses associated with their overall records. It drives away fans and relegates a team to the backwaters of prime-time contests the following season.

At 4-6, the Niners aren’t anywhere close to being eliminated from the playoffs. A hot streak is possible, and head coach Kyle Shanahan is expecting to get some much-needed reinforcements back from injury after the Week 11 bye.

That said, losing games down the stretch actually benefits San Francisco.

Like 2018, injuries have all but derailed the SF 49ers’ 2020 campaign. While it’s admirable the Niners have stayed in contention despite losing key contributors like tight end George Kittle (foot), quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (ankle), EDGE Nick Bosa (knee) and running back Raheem Mostert (knee) for elongated periods of time, all one has to do is recall that 2018 season in which San Francisco netted four wins.

That resulted in the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, which resulted in Bosa. That worked out well.

Heading into 2021, however, the landscape is notably different.

Quarterback landscape could coerce SF 49ers to tank

In 2019, the Niners were set with Garoppolo under center. That wasn’t up for debate.

Yet it’s not the same case entering 2021, as Jimmy G’s future is anything but certain. There are plenty of reasons, particularly the team’s reluctance to restructure his current contract, to suggest why this season could be Garoppolo’s last in an SF 49ers uniform.

The 2021 NFL Draft is awfully deep at quarterback with as many as six prospective signal-callers likely to go in Round 1. Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence is likely to be the No. 1 player selected, and it would be a pipe dream to suggest the Niners have a shot at him over the still-winless NY Jets. Ohio State’s Justin Fields is likely a top-three pick, too.

As it stands, the current top-15 draft order is as follows:

1. NY Jets (0-10)
2. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-9)
3. Cincinnati Bengals (2-7-1)
4. Dallas Cowboys (3-7)
5. Washington Football Team (3-7)
6. LA Chargers (3-7)
7. NY Giants (3-7)
8. Miami Dolphins from Houston Texans (3-7)
9. Atlanta Falcons (3-7)
10. Carolina Panthers (4-7)
11. Detroit Lions (4-6)
12. New England Patriots (4-6)
13. Minnesota Vikings (4-6)
14. SF 49ers (4-6)
15. Denver Broncos (4-6)

The Jets, Washington and Patriots are all but guaranteed to look hard at quarterbacks. The Jaguars, Cowboys, Giants, Falcons, Vikings and Broncos could be looking at signal-callers, too, depending on what each of those squads feels is best under center, both in the immediate future and over the long run.

Yes, the Niners could easily have eyes on someone like BYU’s Zach Wilson, who is rising steadily up big boards leading towards the NFL Draft.

But if San Francisco hangs tight in the teens of Round 1, Wilson will likely be gone.

There’s always the notion for a trade up, of course. Yet the SF 49ers losing games to get a better pick would make a trade-up scenario much more workable while partially negating some of the other would-be quarterback-seeking teams in the draft order.

So, how do the SF 49ers tank?

Let’s assume a few things here: San Francisco is likely done with Garoppolo as a franchise quarterback and wants another. If that wasn’t the case, tanking doesn’t make anywhere near as much sense.

Second, let’s assume there will be an early run on quarterbacks early in the draft. It appears there will be anyway.

Tanking can be done on the roster, not by calling garbage plays or anything like that. Instead, it would involve fielding players of lesser caliber who might be part of the team’s future success with further development.

Case in point, one might consider starting a rookie offensive lineman, such as Colton McKivitz, at guard over someone more experienced than, let’s say, left guard Laken Tomlinson. Perhaps wide receiver Richie James gets more looks at wide receiver than Deebo Samuel, the latter being allowed to rest and recover from an injury-plagued 2020 campaign.

Would losing a lot of games down the stretch stink? Absolutely. But just like it did in 2018, the net result the following year set the SF 49ers up for years of tremendous success by adding Bosa.

In 2021, a budding young quarterback could be the reward for eating some tough losses this season.