The 49ers on Monday will begin the voluntary portion of their offseason program.
There typically isn’t a lot to glean from the offseason workouts, especially early when work is limited to the classroom and the weight room. Attendance or absence doesn’t usually tell much of a story, and no huge roster decisions will be made based on any non-contact on-field work.
However, there are still some things we can glean from the entire, three-phase offseason program for San Francisco. Some of these will change a bit down the road, but here are the things worth keeping an eye on heading into offseason workouts:
QB battle
This will be the most obvious thing to watch, but in the early portion of the program it’ll be more about Trey Lance’s activity level as he recovers from ankle surgery after his injury in Week 2 last season. Beyond that once the football portions begin, it’ll be interesting to see how reps are split up between Lance and Sam Darnold. This will matter more in training camp, but the foundation for the battle between that pair will begin in the offseason program.
Brock Purdy's recovery
This is the other element of the QB battle. Purdy is set to start throwing again in mid-June after offseason surgery to repair a torn UCL he sustained in the NFC championship game. It’s unlikely he gets any live reps during the offseason program, but his progress in recovery will be key to figuring out if he’ll miss any regular season games.
Nick Bosa's contract
We may have to wait for training camp or sometime closer to it for the Bosa contract to come down, but it’ll be worth monitoring throughout the offseason program. Bosa typically works out in Florida and the team trusts him to be physically ready for camp, but there may be an earlier Bosa sighting this year if the team is able to get a contract hammered out with the reigning Defensive Player of the Year.
What's happening at RT
This is another position battle that may not really begin in earnest until training camp. Like the QB spot though, we should learn at least a little bit about what the plan is by how any reps are split up in offseason workouts. Colton McKivitz figures to have the inside track for the starting RT job, but there’ll be some added intrigue going into camp if other players are getting reps there during offseason workouts.
Step 1 for Javon Kinlaw
Staying healthy is the first step for Kinlaw in turning around what’s been a disappointing start to his career. Knee injuries have kept him from realizing the potential he flashed during his rookie campaign. We won’t learn a lot about him as a player during these workouts, but it would be a really nice start for him if he participates and stays fully healthy throughout the program.
Steve Wilks' start
This will be Wilks’ first opportunity to start working with and integrating his new defense. San Francisco has had a ton of success on that side of the ball the last few years with Robert Saleh and DeMeco Ryans heading things. Wilks has been a very successful coach in the NFL for more than two decades and players typically speak highly of him. Putting together good offseason work will allow him and the 49ers’ top-ranked defense to hit the ground running when training camp begins in late July.
Staying healthy
The 49ers have to get their injury situation figured out. It’s been a significant problem in virtually all six of Kyle Shanahan’s seasons as head coach. Getting through offseason work with a clean bill of health would be a terrific start for San Francisco on that front.
