While teams like the New England Patriots, Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers spent big in free agency to upgrade their rosters, perhaps no team suffered as many significant losses as the San Francisco 49ers.
The 49ers saw key pieces of their defense such as defensive tackles Javon Hargrave and Leonard Floyd, linebacker Dre Greenlaw, cornerback Charvarius Ward and safety Talanoa Hufanga depart for bigger contracts elsewhere, and they traded away longtime wide receiver Deebo Samuel for just a fifth-round pick. On the flip side, the most notable player the 49ers brought in was tight end Luke Farrell, who has never topped 200 receiving yards in any of his four NFL seasons.
Despite all of this, there are still reasons for hope in the Bay Area. The organization still possesses one of the best executives in football in John Lynch and one of the best head coaches in Kyle Shanahan, and their roster is still loaded with talent. This is why ESPN writer Dan Graziano believes that claiming that the 49ers Super Bowl window is closed is an overreaction.
“This roster still includes Nick Bosa, Christian McCaffrey, Trent Williams, Fred Warner, George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk … you get the picture. A lot of good players. The coach is still Kyle Shanahan, too. It’s a well-run, high-functioning organization that has been a consistent contender when healthy. And only a year ago, it was one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl,” wrote Graziano. “Teams can reload on the fly in this league, and the 49ers still have their strong core.”
The 49ers’ biggest opportunity for a quick reload will come in the upcoming NFL draft. Throughout their tenure with the team, Shanahan and Lynch have excelled in finding gems in the late rounds, such as Warner in the third round and quarterback Brock Purdy in the seventh round. Thanks to four compensatory picks, the 49ers will have 11 total picks in the draft pick, including their highest overall selection since 2021 at 11th overall.
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