With less than 2 months until\ntraining camp begins, and less than 100 days until the 2019 NFL season arrives,\nlet\u2019s take a look at the biggest camp battles the 49ers have this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019ll begin with the backup\nquarterback spot, which right now it\u2019s a 2 man race, with former 3rd<\/sup>-rounder\nC.J. Beathard, and former UDFA Nick Mullens vying for the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beathard was called upon last\nyear after the injury to Jimmy Garoppolo, but after not playing up to par, the\n49ers turned to Mullens, who impressed as the teams starting quarterback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve recently said Mullens\nwas a lock, and I stand by that, I don\u2019t see the 49ers cutting or trading\nMullens, they have him locked up for 2019 at just $570,000, and in 2020 he\u2019ll\nbe a exclusive rights free agent, while he\u2019ll be a restricted free agent in\n2021, and won\u2019t hit unrestricted free agency until 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As for Beathard, the 49ers\ntraded up in the 2017 draft to pick him, but he hasn\u2019t lived up to expectations\nas the teams #2 QB, and I can fully see the team cutting ties if 1. They\u2019re conformable\nwith Garoppolo\u2019s recovery, and 2. Beathard just doesn\u2019t play well in the\npreseason. Now if the 49ers have reservations about Garoppolo, or worry about\nfurther injury, the 49ers likely carry Beathard, in addition to Garoppolo, and\nMullens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Next up is the teams top\nrunning back. The team has 3 very very good backs to choose from, 2018 signee\nJerick McKinnon, 2017 UDFA & 2018 starter Matt Breida, and 2019 signee\nTevin Coleman. All 3 should get a good amount of carries, and all 3 are locks,\nalong with special team ace Raheem Mostert, who signed a 3-year extension in\nthe offseason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the question is, who is\nthe teams top back come opening day, but let\u2019s give reasons for all 3 backs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n McKinnon signed a 4yr\/$30\nmillion deal in 2018, but tore his ACL before the season began, and deserves\nevery shot at being the teams top back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Breida really showed off last\nseason when McKinnon went down, putting up 814 rushing yards on 153 carries, along\nwith 3 touchdowns, but he also missed 2 games due to injuries, but he proved to\nbe a reliable pass catcher, with 261 receiving yards on 27 catches, and 2\ntouchdowns. It really was a breakout year for Breida.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Coleman is the one back that\nknows Kyle Shanahan\u2019s system better than anyone else on the roster, as he\nplayed for Shanahan in Atlanta when Shanahan was the Falcons offensive\ncoordinator for 2 seasons. He signed a 2yr\/$8.5 million deal, which many\ndescribe as a steal for the 49ers, as they offered Jets new back Le\u2019Veon Bell a\n3yr deal worth a lot more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now is the part where I\ndecide who the teams top back is come opening day, well, my best bet is\nColeman, as he knows the system, and is fully healthy. He could become the\nteams back for many years to come, but I expect all 3 to get plenty of carries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We all know that Dante Pettis\nis the teams top WR, and 2nd<\/sup>-round pick Deebo Samuel should start\nopposite Pettis, but the question is who will be the teams slot wide receivers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well we have plenty of\ncandidates, 2017 5th<\/sup>-rounder Trent Taylor, 2018 7th<\/sup>-rounder\nRichie James Jr., and 2019 signee Jordan Matthews. There is an omission here,\nand that\u2019s Marquise Goodwin, reasoning being, I don\u2019t see him starting, or\ngetting a heavy snap count, due to Shanahan wanting to get the most out of the\nformer Olympian, and speedster, as no one else on the roster has his speed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So let\u2019s give reasoning for\nwhy each could win the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Taylor, who was money in the\nfinal 5 games of the 2017 season, when Jimmy Garoppolo went 5-0, fell off in\n2018, but this was due to injuries, one notably a back injury, but if he\u2019s back\n100%, he has the best shot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n James has great speed, and\nlooks like the one of the perfect candidates for this job, but James only had 9\ncatches, but put 130 yards in 2018, and had the teams lone kick return\ntouchdown. If he can prove to be a reliable target that Taylor was in 2017,\nthen James has a real shot here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now Matthews is the most\nexperienced guy here, but his numbers have fallen off the past 2 seasons, as he\nwent from having over 800 receiving yards in his first 3 seasons to just 582\ntotal the past 2 seasons. His touchdown numbers also suffered, as he had 19 his\nfirst 3 years, and only 3 his past 2 years. If Matthews, who happens to be the\ncousin of 49ers Hall of Famer, and one of the best receivers ever Jerry Rice,\nhe needs to show consistency, and he needs to show that 2017 and 2018 were\nflukes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, my choice for the job is\nTrent Taylor, as the slot WR will likely be the 5th<\/sup> WR on gamedays,\nand with Pettis, Samuel, Goodwin, and 3rd<\/sup>-rounder Jalen Hurd all\nahead of the rest, Taylor or whoever is the 5th<\/sup> WR needs to bring more\nto the field than just being a WR, he needs to bring special teams play, which\nJames has, being a solid return man, but Matthews doesn\u2019t play special teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Next up is the battle for the\n#2 tight end spot, with 3 capable players, veteran Garrett Celek, recent signee\nLevine Toilolo, and 6th-rounder <\/sup>Kaden Smith. Let\u2019s take a look at\neach of these 3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Celek, who has been with the\n49ers for 7 seasons, has the experience, but his numbers went down in 2018,\nwhen he had 5 catches for 90 yards and 2 touchdowns, after putting up over 300\nyards in 2016 and 2017. If Celek is to be the teams #2 TE, he needs to stay\nhealthy, which was an issue last year, and he needs to show he has reliable\nhands, which is also a concern, as he tends to drop quite a bit of balls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Toilolo was signed recently,\nand is a veteran, who has put up decent receiving yard numbers, but his bread\nand butter is his blocking game, which Pro Football Focus rated him as the top\nblocking tight end in 2018. If he can show he can be a reliable pass catcher,\nand also an elite blocker, this may be an easy choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Smith, the teams 6th<\/sup>-round\npick this year probably ends up as the teams 3rd<\/sup> TE, but he put up 7\nreceiving touchdowns in 2 seasons at Stanford.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, my choice is an easy\non, it Levine Toilolo, who knows Kyle Shanahan\u2019s system, as he played for\nFalcons for 5 years, including both years Shanahan was offensive coordinator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now let\u2019s go to the defensive\nside of the ball, with the strong-side linebacker spot, which is better known\nas the SAM linebacker. Now the team doesn\u2019t really use the SAM LB as much as\nother teams, as they play in their base less than 30% of the time, opting to\nuse their nickel defense, which consists of 4 defensive lineman, just 2\nlinebackers, and 5 defensive backs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But, someone will end up\nbeing the teams SAM linebacker, so here\u2019s the options, 2017 signee Malcolm\nSmith, 2018 starting SAM linebacker Mark Nzeocha, and 2019 5th<\/sup>-rounder\nDre Greenlaw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, let\u2019s take a look at\neach of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Smith was pegged as the teams\nweak-side linebacker back in 2017 before he tore his pec in the offseason, and\nmissed the entire season. He ended up playing in 14 games in 2018, and he\nrecently redid his deal, by eliminating his 2020 and 2021 years, and lowering\nhis base salary down to $1.25 million. He really needs to show that he can stay\nhealthy, and be productive for the 49ers to not just play him, but to keep him,\nas he doesn\u2019t play special teams, unlike his competition. One thing that\u2019s\ngoing for Smith is his versatility, he can play all 3 linebacker spots,\nsomething the teams values in their linebackers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nzeocha filled in for Smith\nearly on, and played well enough, even though he didn\u2019t see a lot of snaps, but\nhe was a key special teamer, and he offers versatility, as he can play all 3\nlinebacker spot. If he\u2019s to win the spot, he needs to show he\u2019s more than a\nbackup\/special teamer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now Greenlaw may be the\ndarkhorse, he\u2019s only 5\u201911, but a tenacious defender, who was the teams 5th<\/sup>-rounder\nthis year, and was highly productive at Arkansas. I truly believe Greenlaw,\nalong with Nzeocha will be key special teamers, and are locks for the 2019\nroster. Now if Greenlaw wants to be the starter, he needs to show something\nover the two vets, and like with them, he can play the other 2 linebacker spots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now my answer to the\nquestion, I\u2019m going with Malcolm Smith for now, but don\u2019t count out Dre\nGreenlaw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Next up is the teams other\nstarting cornerback opposite Richard Sherman, with the following vying for the job,\n2017 3rd<\/sup>-rounder Ahkello Witherspoon, and 2019 signee Jason Verrett.\nHad this been befofe the team started playing Tarvarius Moore at safety he\u2019d be\nin the mix, but for now, I\u2019m leaving him out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, like with the other\npositions, let\u2019s take a look at each, and why they could win the spot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Witherspoon was the teams #2\nCB last year, and should have a legit shot at being that again this year. He\nhad a good year in 2017 with 2 picks, but regressed in 2018, as he was\nconsistently getting beaten in coverage, sometimes by 5 yards or more. He needs\nto show he\u2019s back to his 2017 self in order to be the starter opposite Sherman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verrett, the former 1st<\/sup>-rounder\nof the then San Diego Chargers, missed all of 2018, but is looking to be the\nteams starter opposite Sherman. If he\u2019s to do so, he needs to 1. Obviously stay\nhealthy, and 2. Show he\u2019s still one of the best corners in the NFL. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, my choice, is Jason\nVerrett, he\u2019s a former pro bowler, and was one of the best corners in the NFL\npre injuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lastly is the free safety\nspot, which is really up for grabs following the Jimmie Ward injury. The\npotential starters look to be 2018 3rd<\/sup>-rounder Tarvarius Moore, 2017\n7th<\/sup>-rounder Adrian Colbert, and 2018 signee Antone Exum Jr., now all\n3 have a legit shot at the job now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, let\u2019s take a look all 3\nplayers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Moore, who was originally\nconverted to a cornerback when he was drafted by the 49ers, is back to playing\nthe spot he played at Southern Miss. He seems like the obvious choice, being it\u2019s\nhis natural spot, and he had the production in college to back it up. But can\nthat production equate to this level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Colbert, had a very very good\n2017 season, where he started at FS after injuries to the likes of Ward, but he\nregressed in 2018, just not looking like his 2017 self, now if he can revert to\nhis 2017 self, he would definitely be the starter. One reason why he may have\nregressed, is due to being injured last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now Exum is a wild card in my\nopinion, he played very well in 2018, he had one of the teams lone 2\ninterceptions, and played quite a bit when Ward, and Colbert went down with\ninjuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now my choice, it\u2019s Tarvarius\nMoore, he\u2019s a natural at the single high safety spot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well there you have it, I\ncovered the backup QB, top RB, slot WR, #2 TE, starting SAM LB, #2 CB, and\nstarting FS battles, do you have any other battles you guys are looking at? If\nyou do, please let me know, and sound off in the comment section.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" With less than 2 months until training camp begins, and less than 100 days until…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-74","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-analysis","category-exclusive","category-prediction","category-roster"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"views":46,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/49erscap.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/49erscap.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/49erscap.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/49erscap.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/49erscap.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/49erscap.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/49erscap.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/49erscap.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/49erscap.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/49erscap.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}