3 reasons why 49ers special teams will be exceptionally better in 2022
By Peter Panacy
Reason No. 2: 49ers spent considerable effort on signing special teams aces
The Niners’ No. 1 ticket item in NFL free agency this offseason was cornerback Charvarius Ward, who addressed arguably the largest pressing roster need.
However, the bulk of general manager John Lynch’s moves thereafter focused less on skill positions and much more on special teams, particularly inking special teams contributors like linebacker Oren Burks, return specialist Ray-Ray McCloud and safety George Odum.
More on McCloud on a bit, but these moves highlight Lynch’s understanding of how big a problem special teams was last season.
Burks, 27 years old, saw at least 77 percent of all special teams snaps for the Green Bay Packers the last three seasons, and according to Pro Football Focus, his 2021 efforts produced a quality 71.4 special teams grade.
Odum, meanwhile, has been a spot starter at safety for the Indianapolis Colts over his career. But he made his mark as a first-team All-Pro selection in 2020 for his work on special teams, and that’ll certainly help translate San Francisco’s previous shortcomings into more successes in 2022.