15 things that we’ve learned so far this season, both good, & bad

With the 49ers 30-10 victory over the Jaguars, they’re now back to .500, at 5-5, so, let’s look at 15 things that we’ve learned so far this season, both good, & bad.

1. Deebo Samuel is an ELITE playmaker, whether it be as a receiver, or runner, he’s always getting positive yards, and he’s one of the best receivers in the NFL.
2. The fans who wrote off Brandon Aiyuk were stupid to do so, because he’s become a very reliable receiver, he wins in man coverage so much, and he makes some of the craziest catches look easy, not to mention I was one of those people, along side my good friend David Lombardi, were two of the biggest advocates, not just for his play, but also the patience to let him develop, and you can follow David on Twitter, @LombardiHimself, and be sure to check out his work on TheAthletic.com, it’s well worth the money.
3. With Raheem Mostert out for the season, head coach Kyle Shanahan is showing that just about running back will do just fine in his scheme, whether it is 3^rd-rounder Trey Sermon, 6^th-rounder Elijah Mitchell, and Jeff Wilson Jr., oh, and Deebo Samuel.
4. Nick Bosa is back, he’s one of the best EDGE rushers in the NFL, he’s getting the sacks, plus he will become the highest paid defensive players, $30 million a year, $100 million guaranteed, and he’s well worth it.
5. Trent Williams is still an All-Pro left tackle, so for those who thought giving the big man a 6-year deal, averaging $23.03 million a year, you’re crazy, because he’s the best left tackle in the NFL, despite a year off in 2019, he clearly has not lost a step, he’s like fine wine, he gets better with age.
6. Despite George Kittle missing 3 games, he’s still the best all-around tight end in the NFL, as he is one of the players, along with Kyle Juszcyzk, that make this running game going, and he’s not too bad at catching the ball too.
7. And speaking of Kyle Juszcyzk, he’s shown that he’s well worth the $5.4 million a year 5-year contract that the 49ers gave him this past offseason, as I said above, he & Kittle make the run game work, and he’s proven that he can lineup just about everywhere on the field, as well as catch & run with the ball.
8. Azeez Al-Shaair has really become a reliable linebacker with Dre Greenlaw still on injured reserve, as Al-Shaair is always one of the first guys to the ball carrier, and sure fire tackler, he’s someone the 49ers should look to sign to a multi-year deal, and luckily for them, he’s only a restricted free agent this offseason.
9. J. Jones is one of the most underrated players in the NFL, as the big nose tackle is constantly getting pressure, despite being well over 300 pounds, plus his speed, and his instincts on the field, especially in the 49ers win over the Rams on Monday Night Football, where he ran down the receiver on a fake field goal try by the Rams.
10. The 49ers special teams has improved, as Robbie Gould, despite missing 3 games, he’s only missed 1 field goal, and Mitch Wishnowsky has proven to be a top tier punter in the NFL, as he’s among the top 10 in punts landing inside the 20.
11. DeMeco Ryans’ defensive is showing that the promotion of him going from linebackers coach to defensive coordinator was the right move, as this defense is among the top 5 best defenses in yards given up, and are a very disciplined defense, with them not making too many mental mistakes.
12. The 49ers desperately need to find better cornerbacks, despite drafting 2 promising players, in 3^rd-rounder Ambry Thomas, & 5^th-rounder Deommodore Lenoir, they lost Jason Verrett week 1 to a torn ACL, but they need to find a legit #1 shutdown cornerback, and good depth.
13. The 49ers need to find some bigger interior defensive lineman, because the ones they have, despite doing a really good job, they’re just not the size of a D.J. Jones, or Javon Kinlaw, who while he’s on injured reserve, he’ll be one of the teams starting defensive lineman in 2022.
14. The 49ers need to find a true & better #3 wide receiver, because, while Jauan Jennings, Trent Sherfield, & Mohamed Sanu Sr. have done a good job, they need a real threat, they can’t rely on Deebo Samuel & Brandon Aiyuk at WR, so they’ll need to find someone, whether in free agency, or in the draft, especially after the 49ers released former 2019 3^rd-rounder Jalen Hurd, confirming, like when they cut 2018 2^nd-rounder Dante Pettis, he was a bust, and a bad pick.
15. While, for the most part the 49ers offensive line has been playing excellently, especially in the run game, they do have some weak spots on the line, namely at right guard, & now right tackle with Mike McGlinchey’s torn quad, but the good news is that they drafted a nice young up-and-comer in 5^th-rounder Jaylon Moore, who’s looked good at right tackle, and drafted Aaron Banks in the 2^nd-round, despite him not playing, he’s still should be viewed as the teams future at right guard, or left guard, depending on what happens with current left guard Laken Tomlinson, who is a free agent after the season, has looked very good this season.

So, onto the 49ers week 12 matchup with the Minnesota Vikings, where hopefully the 49ers gets back weakside linebacker Dre Greenlaw, and can keep this momentum going.

And, with all of this said, I thank everyone for reading article, as always you can follow me on Twitter @49erscap, or leave a comment below, and I’ll get back to you.

About Author

Jason Hurley

Die Hard 49ers fan from New York, been covering the 49ers salary cap since 2005, with several different websites, including NinersNation.com, & the now defunct NinerCapHell, I have a track record of being as accurate as possible, & I try to be as thorough as possible.

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