The 49ers on Monday announced their offseason workout schedule. Typically this time of year is good for players to get back into shape and get back in flow of an NFL season. This year it’s bigger than that for San Francisco.
With a slew of roster battles wide open and a number of other players returning from significant injuries, the 49ers’ offseason program will be a major checkpoint if the team is going to undergo a dramatic turnaround after winning just 10 games the last two seasons.
Here are four key areas of importance for the 49ers when they open their offseason workouts on April 15:
Wide receivers
The battle for wide receiver spots will only get more intense if they use an early draft pick on the position. Getting a head start with strong performances in OTAs and minicamp will be huge for players on the roster bubble. No decisions are going to be made based solely on the offseason program, but it’s a good opportunity for players to show off improvements they’ve made over the offseason as they jockey for position going into camp.
Cornerbacks
Corners will be in a similar spot to the receivers with one major difference – there’s unlikely to be a top draft pick in this group. Ahkello Witherspoon and Tarvarius Moore, along with recently-signed veteran Jason Verrett, will headline the battle for a starting cornerback job. Verrett is coming off an injury and will have an opportunity to move a little bit on the field for the first time since tearing an Achilles tendon in training camp with the Chargers last year. For Witherspoon it’ll be about picking up where he left off before getting hurt last year, while Moore will have to show dramatic improvement in his second year following a transition from safety.
Safeties
There’s unlikely to be a more hotly contested position on San Francisco’s roster than this one. Adrian Colbert, Jimmie Ward, Marcell Harris, DJ Reed, Antone Exum Jr. and Jaquiski Tartt all saw time at safety last season, and they’ll all be back in the fold this year with both starting jobs up for grabs. Reed is more likely to stick at nickel corner, but his spot among the safety group is probably going to be taken by a rookie. The 49ers desperately need better safety play, and whoever gets out to a fast start in the offseason program will have a favorable position going into camp.
Jimmy Garoppolo, Jerick McKinnon, Kwon Alexander
These are three keys for the 49ers this season. Their offense will struggle again if Garoppolo isn’t fully healthy, and Shanahan clearly has a plan to unleash McKinnon once he’s at full capacity after an ACL tear prior to the start of last season. Alexander, the newly-signed linebacker, will have a significant role on the other side of the ball. He tore his ACL in late October last year. Getting back to the fast, athletic player he was would be a huge spark for the 49ers’ defense.
We won’t get a good look at anyone’s progress during OTAs because the football activities are relatively limited and none of the three will be ready too fly around at full speed. Getting onto the field for practice at all is a key step though, and ensuring they don’t suffer any setbacks will be the story of the entire offseason program.
Player health
Speaking of players getting healthy, the 49ers’ new medical staff will be front and center this season after two injury-riddled years. The front office set out to make the strength and conditioning and athletic training staffs more cohesive. Those two departments will be vital in getting injured players back on the field, while simultaneously taking steps to make sure the healthy players stay that way as much as possible. The 49ers’ injury luck has been bad, and a turnaround will start with their new medical personnel.
