5 most explosive players on 49ers offense entering 2021
By Peter Panacy
The 49ers will look to get head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense back going again in 2021, and these five explosive players should help matters a lot.
Perhaps the San Francisco 49ers‘ 2020 offense can be given something of a mulligan after a swarm of injuries ultimately forced head coach Kyle Shanahan’s lead unit to finish 21st in scoring last season.
That’s typically what happens when a team is without two of its top receiving threats for at least half the season, tossing in three different starting quarterbacks and regularly shuffling the offensive line.
With the injury woes (hopefully) behind them, the Niners should be able to look forward to the kind of success they enjoyed a year earlier during their run up to the Super Bowl.
If so, these five explosive players will likely have a lot to say about the outcome.
49ers Explosive Player No. 5: Quarterback Trey Lance
It’s unclear whether or not rookie quarterback Trey Lance ultimately takes the starting reins from Jimmy Garoppolo this season, particularly by Week 1.
True, San Francisco wants this to happen sooner than later. But training camp still has a lot to say about whether or not that’ll happen.
Either way, there’s no doubting Lance’s potential explosiveness, which is why he’s included on this list. Even if Garoppolo is starting, one should expect Shanahan and the 49ers to slowly insert Lance into various packages where he can put his raw talents to good use.
It’s easy to get hyped about Lance’s 28-to-0 touchdown-to-interception ratio from 2019, his lone year as a starter. But somewhat lost in the mix is his 1,100 rush yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground that season, showing just how much a dual-threat athlete he can be.
A kind of player the Niners haven’t had since former quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s heyday in 2012 and 2013.
Even if he’s limited in action this season, Lance can still make a massive impact as this kind of player, and it’ll sure be entertaining watching him give San Francisco a dimension it hasn’t had yet under Shanahan.