The latest barrage of injuries plaguing the San Francisco 49ers has them looking up at their two divisional superiors, the Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Rams. Such a scenario is hardly unfamiliar, as the 12-5 Niners of last year still finished in the NFC West.
Though injuries are often unpredictable, they have become a common theme in camp, and the person at fault may be none other than head coach Kyle Shanahan.
According to NFL pundit Colin Cowherd, Shanahan has yet to learn a valuable lesson that his rival Sean McVay figured out long ago.
Shanahan, to a fault, is very loyal to players. High IQ guys on both sides that are smart enough to get his schemes... His dad was a coach... Sean McVay's grandfather was a general manager. McVay thinks like more of a general manager. McVay is more of, "What will you do for me going forward?" Shanahan is more, "What have you done for me?"
49ers' loyalty may have gifted Rams a serious divisional advantage
While opinions may vary on Cowherd's sentiments, he has a point. The Rams have operated unemotionally in severing ties with players. Todd Gurley, Jalen Ramsey, and Cooper Kupp are all examples of players who defined the organization, only to find themselves shipped away when they were no longer of use.
While those three players were once fan favorites, they, like all athletes, surpassed their athletic peak and proved incapable of helping the Rams achieve their goals. McVay, thinking like a GM, knew that the smartest move was to move on without them.
In contrast, Cowherd referred to the 49ers as "old, expensive, and brittle." Even as recent as this offseason, their loyalty was on clear display. Instead of cutting ties with aging players, they elected to go the opposite direction. They reunited with linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who spent one dismal season with the Broncos before getting cut, and former Bay Area darling Deebo Samuel, who hasn't had a 1,000 yard receiving season since 2021.
49ers will have plenty of opportunities to change this narrative
While McVay and the Rams continue to bolster their position as Super Bowl favorites, the 49ers seem to be intent on going backwards. It's as if Kyle Shanahan is afraid to start anew, which would force him to re-teach his playbook, and would rather reunite with an older generation that now lacks a sufficient physical skill set.
After the season, though, Shanahan will have plenty of opportunities to prove the contrary. Deebo, Christian McCaffrey, Mike Evans, and George Kittle are all at least 30 years old, and the front office will be forced to decide who to keep around for 2027. In a sport where 30 is nothing short of a death sentence, many of these players are on borrowed time. If Shanahan and GM John Lynch truly want to compete for a Super Bowl in the Brock Purdy era, it might be time to face the facts.
In expressing these concerns, Cowherd may have hit the nail on the head as to why the 49ers seem to keep spinning their wheels. If they wish to get over the hump, it might be time to take loyalty and emotion out of their decision-making process.
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