49ers end-of-year grades for Kyle Shanahan, his coordinators

End-of-year grades for 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel

It might be hard to totally pin what responsibilities Mike McDaniel held with the Niners during his lone season as offensive coordinator, promoted in 2021 from his previous role as the team’s run-game coordinator.

Kyle Shanahan might have actually called all the plays on offense anyway, leaving McDaniel in more of a role where he could install the offensive game plans on any given week, particularly those where the running game had to be the primary focus.

And there’s little doubt McDaniel’s influence played a large role.

At any rate, McDaniel’s offense finished 13th in scoring over the course of the regular season but seventh in total yards gained, while the run game managed just 4.3 yards per carry (16th).

Read More: 5 Niners who may follow Mike McDaniel to Dolphins

Interestingly enough, San Francisco’s passing game averaged 7.7 yards per attempt, which was best in the league.

Again, it’s hard to quantify just how big a role McDaniel played in that, and some of the various shortcomings with players probably hindered the 49ers from being a top-five unit in the other categories.

Either way, McDaniel’s innovative offense resulted in him landing a head-coaching job with the Miami Dolphins, so he surely had to impress in more ways than one.

Grade: B