Atticus Jenkins: Ace Assistant

[Danchat]

2017 49ers Offseason Goals

The third season of Atticus Jenkins as the 49ers' head coach is on its way. Before the offseason starts and the 49ers try to improve on their 7-9 record, let's take a look at what this team needs to do if they want to be a playoff contender.

#1: Find a QB

If you've been following the past couple of seasons, you know the 49ers need a QB - desperately. With Teddy Bridgewater absolutely bombing in 2015 and the combination of Kellen Moore, Jacoby Brissett, Connor Cook, and Bridgewater in 2016, there's nowhere to go but up. Atticus Jenkins will have to find a QB or this team will be doomed and so will his job. Who knows if they will acquire a vet in free agency, trade the farm for a guy, or draft a QB early, but whichever option it is, it better work this time.

#2: Re-Sign Eddie Lacy

After putting up a whopping 1,535 yard season, Lacy will be a free agent and will likely be paid handsomely. The 49ers have the cash to pull the trigger on a big deal, but will Lacy want to return? Hopefully Eddie realizes that Jenkins' scheme has maximized his abilities and he'll stick around (he ran for about 3.1 yards per carry with the old regime, now it's about 4.8).

#3: Fix the WRs

With Kevin White and DeAndre Hopkins as the top WRs, the 49ers figured they had a young duo that would dominate the NFL for years to come. This still may happen, but both of them took steps back in 2016. Kevin White had troubles getting open and caught a measly 42% of the passes coming his direction - though a good QB could fix this. DeAndre Hopkins caught drop fever and scored a TD in just one game (he happened to have two in that game)! As a WR guru, it's up to Atticus Jenkins to find out how to fix these two. Meanwhile, rookie Sterling Shepard looked really good and didn't get enough passes thrown his direction - hopefully he'll get an increase in snaps.

#4: Maintain the Defense

Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer manned a legitimate top 10 defense last season, and that needs to continue into 2017. While it has been mainly devoid of superstars - Chandler Jones is probably the only one who could be classified as one - they've had basically no liabilities out there. While DE Sharrif Floyd and CB Joe Haden have struggled at times, players like Muhammad Wilkerson, Quan Sturdivant, Dante Fowler, and Taylor Mays have solidified this defense as a major threat. The 49ers would be wise to retain these players and find some good backups in case of injury.

#5: Develop Draft Picks and UDFAs

This is a bit of an odd one, but the 49ers need to start developing their late rounders and UDFAs to becoming starters or at least role players. Over the last couple seasons, the 49ers have kept a plethora of UDFAs, but none of them have accomplished much. OLB Kyle Emanuel was a primary backup and started several games but provided zero pass rush. QB Jacoby Brissett somehow went undrafted and got several starts but predictably struggled. The 49ers should figure out what they have in guys like TE Thomas Duarte, T Jason Spriggs, WR Darius Powe, WR Antwan Goodley, NT Vincent Valentine, OLB Jatavis Brown, ILB Elandon Roberts, S Jarrod Wilson, and S Clayton Geathers.

COMING SOON - the 2017 NFL Offseason!

I am hoping to finish the next version of the 2017 Draft Class so I can use it in this franchise journal. I will probably reboot this journal in a few weeks and we'll get rolling into the 2017 season. Let's hope the 49ers can do better this time around!

[madden07eurocat]

Outstanding! I've been waiting for the continuation of this series. Glad to see that you have a little more time to devote to it.

[Danchat]

Outstanding! I've been waiting for the continuation of this series. Glad to see that you have a little more time to devote to it.

I'm glad to see you'll be reading.

[Danchat]

-A Couple of Announcements-

Many NFL players have been announcing their retirement, like Saints QB Drew Brees, Packers HB Marshawn Lynch, Ravens WR Anquan Boldin, and DE Robert Mathis. No 49ers have retired.

One other piece of news is that the 49ers have hired an analytical assistant named Trey. He will help the GM evaluate players using advanced analytics and unorthodox methods. The 49ers hope that with a fresh perspective on breaking down film, they'll be able to find some hidden gems that other teams cannot see.

Translation: I will be using trey31's research on how stats actually affect players. Instead of drafting and signing players based on their OVR and raw stats, I will throw out useless stats (like STR, RBK, PBK, BTK, and more) and rely on the better stats (SPD, ACC) to scout players. This will not be used for every single decision that I make from now on, but it will greatly impact several of them. I'm intrigued to see how they will work. During the preseason I plan to have some interesting battles that will pit different players together - I'm talking an offensive tackle with 85 PBK, RBK, and STR going up against a tackle who's got 80 SPD and ACC and poor PBK, RBK, and STR skills.

You can find trey's results here:
http://www.footballidiot.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=19331&hilit=strength
http://www.footballidiot.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=19346

[Danchat]

2017 Offseason

-The 49ers have traded QB Teddy Bridgewater, Pick 4-11, Pick 6-11 to the Buffalo Bills for Pick 5-2. This is very similar to the real-life trade of QB Brock Osweiler - the Bills will eat $16M of the cap hit in Bridgewater's deal. However, to do this, the 49ers gave up a 4th. The Bills will get two more seasons of Bridgewater, gain a 4th rounder, and move back from the 5th to the 6th round. They have plenty of cap room, so they can eat his salary without any problems.

-The 49ers have cut WR T. Y. Hilton. His two seasons as the #4 WR provided basically nothing, displaying poor hands. He's got blazing speed but not much else.

-The 49ers retained TE Troy Niklas, C Corey Linsley, and FS Maurice Alexander in restricted free agency. They did not pursue any players during the RFA session - there were plenty of guys available but the 49ers are content with what they have.

-Re-signing: HB Eddie Lacy signed a 4 year deal worth $24M with $9.6M guaranteed. It's a well-deserved deal that makes Lacy one of the highest-paid HBs in the league. If healthy, he'll get another 300+ carries.

HB Bernard Pierce - 2 years / $3M total / $1.2M guaranteed - Pierce was a fine kick returner but also a great change of pace when running the ball. He may be the 3rd HB on the depth chart, but he'll get some touches. If Lacy ever got hurt, Pierce would probably get 40-50% of the touches with Duke Johnson getting the other chunk.

TE Aaron Hernandez - 3 years / $11M total / $4.4M guaranteed - Well... it's hard to talk about Hernandez with what's happened in real life with him... but this is an alternate universe where Hernandez has become a good starting TE and a decent human being. He'll function as the primary receiving TE.

K Greg Zuerlein - 3 years / $3.5M total / $1M Guarn. - If you've been a longtime follower of this franchise journal, you'll know that the 49ers have had kicking problems. They burned a 6th rounder on Kyle Brindza, a 6th on Ka'imi Fairbairn, and gave up on 2015 kicker Brett Maher. But it was Zuerlein who emerged and looked really good as the kicker in 2016, which was a complete surprise. He's getting a well-earned contract and hopefully he can repeat his fantastic 2016 season.

After these moves, here's what the 49ers depth chart looks like:

2017 49ers Depth Chart


Players leaving in free agency:
FB Michael Robinson - He's 34 and it's probably time to move on. He's been great for the Jenkins offense whether it be in Seattle for San Fran.
FB Zach Line - The 49ers developed him as the heir to Robinson but it appears Line didn't want to return. He might face competition for a starting job elsewhere.
LG Tony Bergstrom - He's been a solid LG for the past two seasons, playing all 32 games. He doesn't have a high ceiling, so perhaps the 49ers will look for a high-impact guard in free agency or the draft.
LT Lane Johnson - Johnson has spent most of his career at LT, but the 49ers drafted Ronnie Stanley in the first round last year to replace him. Stanley looked awful in a handful of starts last season...
G Jeff Allen - He's a fine backup guard who might be back on a cheap deal.
DE J. J. Watt - He's not very good in this alternate reality - he recorded his first two sacks of his career with the 49ers! He really isn't needed here.
WR DeVier Posey - He replaced T. Y. Hilton as the 4th WR and he could return on the cheap.
OLB Sio Moore - He replaced Kyle Emanuel at OLB after Quan Sturdivant went to the IR. Moore was a solid pass rusher but he didn't want to return after the 49ers stashed him on the bench for a season and a half.
CB Asher Allen - He exclusively played dime corner and did a fine job. San Francisco might prefer a development guy in his spot, though.

Next time I'll have a preview of free agency, including the QBs that will be available. I'll also have a list of needs that the 49ers will need to fill.

[achernar]

When will be the Draft?

[Danchat]

When will be the Draft?

I will probably do the draft on Sunday and post the results on Monday or Tuesday. Depends on how busy I am.

[achernar]

When will be the Draft?

I will probably do the draft on Sunday and post the results on Monday or Tuesday. Depends on how busy I am.

Great... planning pick some QB high in this draft? or DT?

[madden07eurocat]

Noticing some of the same players on my Browns squad and thought I would throw this out there for an FYI.
HB Duke Johnson - I had to finally bench the guy because, while he was a good runner, he coughed up the ball at least once per game.
C Cameron Erving - He has been placed on the PS and is a bust for the Browns.
RG Ali Marpet - Has been a good addition to the O-line since his acquisition a season ago.
DT Alameda Ta'amu - Has been a solid backup for my starting DT Danny Shelton, who was a rookie a year ago and in the Pro Bowl his rookie season.
P Andy Lee - I need to keep this guy happy and healthy because he is an elite in my Browns world as well.

Being a Vikes fan at heart, I was sad to see Bridgwater's deal restructured. I have a feeling that he is not going to play again, at least not for the Vikes.

[Danchat]

Noticing some of the same players on my Browns squad and thought I would throw this out there for an FYI.
HB Duke Johnson - I had to finally bench the guy because, while he was a good runner, he coughed up the ball at least once per game.
C Cameron Erving - He has been placed on the PS and is a bust for the Browns.
RG Ali Marpet - Has been a good addition to the O-line since his acquisition a season ago.
DT Alameda Ta'amu - Has been a solid backup for my starting DT Danny Shelton, who was a rookie a year ago and in the Pro Bowl his rookie season.
P Andy Lee - I need to keep this guy happy and healthy because he is an elite in my Browns world as well.

Being a Vikes fan at heart, I was sad to see Bridgwater's deal restructured. I have a feeling that he is not going to play again, at least not for the Vikes.

Nice, that's cool to see some similarities between our teams. I found Erving in the 3rd round and he's been a great center, but it seems like your franchise has followed his play in real life. Duke Johnson hasn't been a fumbler here. Marpet's been a fine guard for me, though I find I can plug in most guards and they'll play very well.

Bridgewater has been terrible in this franchise, oddly enough. So far my QBs have been really bad for the 49ers, while they were fine in my Seahawks portion. I really hope Teddy can play again for the Vikings in real life but who knows what will happen.