The San Francisco 49ers entered training camp reeling from what had been a disastrous offseason. A combination of widespread free-agent departures and retirements coupled with the departure of head coach Jim Harbaugh led many to believe this team's opportunity of contending for a Super Bowl has passed.
Gone are Pro Bowl performers Patrick Willis, Aldon Smith, Justin Smith, Frank Gore and Mike Iupati—five players that will be replaced by youngsters with a whole heck of a lot to prove.
National expectations have been muted, but the brass in Santa Clara has made it clear to first-year head coach Jim Tomsula that a championship is the end goal here. And while that seems to be nothing less than a pipe dream, the 49ers remain a quality squad.
Let's check in on my takeaways from training camp and the first couple games of the preseason.
Offense Still Has No Identity
Early in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco had more points than passing yards. Preseason or not, that's a scary stat. Granted Colin Kaepernick played all of 16 snaps, attempting a grand total of five passes. Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith played the same amount of snaps, receiving a combined two targets. That's not the issue here, most teams are not playing their starters all too much during the early stages of the preseason.
However, we don't necessarily have a firm grasp on exactly what the 49ers offense is going to look like. We know the team is going to go with some version of a zone-blocking system. We also know that there will be more read-option plays and two running back sets. Heck, San Francisco may go empty backfield with five-wide sets (not all wide receivers, maybe two personnel with three wide receivers and two tight ends).
We simply haven't seen a base scheme thus far in the preseason, at least when it comes to the first-team offense. Though, one thing is for sure here: San Francisco is stressing an up-tempo offensive attack, which is a complete 180 from the Jim Harbaugh-Greg Roman era.
The 49ers must display their philosophy in game action against Denver this week. If it means playing the starters three quarters to get them accustomed to an offense that won't look remotely like what they saw under the former regime, so be it. Some real success on this side of the ball would come in handy prior to Week 1.
Tight End is a Strength
Even after trading Asante Cleveland and Derek Carrier during camp, this position has to be considered a major strength for the 49ers offense. Vernon Davis has looked stellar in camp thus far, which is an indication that his head might be back in the game after struggling big time last year following a summer holdout. Davis has the talent to be a top-five tight end in the game. If he's able to return to form in a completely new offense, it will be huge for Kaepernick and company.
However, it's the youngsters after Davis that have shown the most. Rookie fourth-round pick Blake Bell, a converted quarterback, looks like the real deal from a pass-catching standpoint. And while he's struggled a great deal in run-blocking, his 6-foot-6, 252-pound frame has to be intimidating for opposing defenders. Still as raw as it comes, it remains to be seen if Bell can make a major impact as a rookie.
Former second-round pick Vance McDonald continues to display an improved set of hands—something that had him on the roster bubble heading into camp. He's caught both of the passes thrown in his direction during the preseason, but has looked solid in practice.
Another potential mismatch for opposing defenses, Garrett Celek seems to have the backup tight end job on lock down at this point. He's always had a nice set of hands, it's just injuries that have held the 6-foot-5 tight end back. If healthy, he might be able to act as a solid threat for Kaepernick in the passing game.
Outside of Bell, the most intriguing player at this position is rookie seventh-round pick Busta Anderson. The South Carolina product is the second-most athletic tight end on the roster behind Davis. He has the size/speed combination to be an under-the-radar option moving forward. Anderson's ability to be on the active roster will depend heavily on how many tight ends the 49ers keep.
Even After Losing Multiple Starters, Defense Looks Great
There is a narrative floating around that San Francisco's defense will put up a below-average performance this season. After all, losing multiple potential Hall of Fame performers will hurt any defense. However, general manager Trent Baalke has done a tremendous job building young talent on this unit throughout the years. And it's shown up first-hand during the summer.
As was the case under former defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, the front seven will be the strength of Eric Mangini's unit this year. The likes of Arik Armstead, Quinton Dial, Lawrence Okoye, Cornellius Carradine, Mike Purcell and Ian Williams have all been great during camp and the preseason. Dial and Purcell have stood out the most among this group, with the latter putting up a pick-six against the Dallas Cowboys last week. Adding these youngsters to a veteran base that includes Darnell Dockett and Glenn Dorsey might give San Francisco one of the deepest defensive lines in football.
At linebacker, there remains more question marks. After losing Patrick Willis, Chris Borland and Aldon Smith this offseason, the expectation has to be that this unit will take a hit. Though, seeing NaVorro Bowman absolutely dominate in his first live-game action since tearing up his knee in January of 2014 is a great sign.
When healthy, Bowman is the best middle linebacker in the game.
This biggest question mark here is who will start opposite him. Most believed it would be Michael Wilhoite, but he's been held back by injury thus far. That's allowed third-year linebacker Nick Moody to display his talents, and the former Florida State player has been more than up for the task—performing extremely well in both the run game and in coverage thus far. Former Stanford standout Shayne Skov has also played well. Expecting any of these guys to perform up to Willis levels would be foolish, but they won't be asked to with Bowman back in the mix.
Outside linebacker is yet another point of contention here. An always reliable Ahmad Brooks is entrenched in as one starter. At the other spot, it appears that rookie Eli Harold and second-year player Aaron Lynch are battling for the job. Lynch performed at a surprisingly high level as a rookie, putting up six sacks in situational pass-rush duties. Though, he came to camp overweight and has been dealing with an injury. As we saw at inside linebacker, this opened things up for another young player. Harold, a third-round pick in this year's draft, has played extremely well in two games. He's the true wild card here. Even if the 49ers go with Lynch as the starter to open the season—a real possibility—Harold will get a ton of action in replacement of Brooks in pass-rush downs.
Two Young Players Progressing Rapidly
We covered most of these players above, but there are a couple more that must be talked about. Undrafted rookie free agent Jarryd Hayne, a former Austrialian rugby player, has been the talk of the NFL water cooler during the preseason. In addition to averaging nine yards per rush on 13 attempts this preseason, Hayne has been electric in the return game. He's averaging 21.6 yards on five punt returns and put up 33 yards on his only kick return thus far this preseason.
It's going to be interesting to see if Hayne makes the roster. Tomsula has gone out of his way not to throw a ton of praise the Aussie's way. Though, that could be the coach's best attempt at a poker face. What is known: Hayne has performed at an exceptional level for a guy that first put on football pads less than a year ago.
What is also known is the fact that San Francisco boasts one of the deepest running back groups in the NFL. Carlos Hyde is the unquestioned starter with veteran free-agent signing Reggie Bush likely to act as the third-down back and occassional slot receiver. Former fourth-round pick Kendall Hunter has performed well when he's been on the field, but he missed the entire 2014 campaign with a torn ACL. The team also drafted former South Carolina standout Mike Davis in the fifth round of this year's draft. This doesn't even take into account the possibility that two fullbacks, Bruce Miller and Trey Millard, may make the final 53.
Rookie second-round pick Jaquiski Tartt has also performed well in two preseason games. The hard-hitting small school safety product has the "it" factor when on the field. Not only can he lay the wood, Tartt has impressive athleticism and coverage ability all packed into a compact 6-foot-1, 231-pound frame. With an ability to play both safety positions, slot corner and even linebacker, Tartt's versatility is going to be huge moving forward. He's also impressed a coaching staff that has not been afraid to throw public praise his way. Tartt is unlikely to start at safety with Pro Bowlers Antoine Bethea and Eric Reid locked in there, but he will make an impact on both defense and special teams as a rookie. The 49ers hit big time with this pick, as Tartt has Pro Bowler written all over him.
Cornerback Remains a Major Concern
Baalke has made a point of avoiding the big-name corners in free agency. He's also let the team's starting corners leave via free agency in each of the past two offseasons. Needless to say, Baalke has confidence that the 49ers front seven will continue to mask what has to be considered a lack of proven talent at cornerback. While this has worked in the past, it's hard to believe the 49ers will be as much as average at this position in 2015.
Tramaine Brock returns as the team's top cover guy after missing all but three games to injury last year. The sixth-year corner was uber impressive in a semi-starting role for the squad back in 2013. He should be fine at one spot. However, it's both the other outside corner spot and the slot position that has to be of utmost concern here. Second-year players Keith Reaser and Kenneth Acker, both of whom missed their rookie seasons to injury, are vying with fellow second-year player Dontae Johnson for the other starting spot. Meanwhile, free-agent signing Shareece Wright has been relegated to a backup role after starting camp as the team's No. 2 corner.
It's not about a lack of talent here. Johnson had his up and downs while playing a somewhat prominant role as a rookie last season. He's been lining up with the first team this week. Reaser, a fifth-round pick last year, got his chance to start against the Cowboys this past weekend—an opportunity he took full advantage of by playing extremely well. Last year's first-round pick, Jimmie Ward, who can play both the slot and free safety position, has yet to see live-game action this preseason due to injury. He's a true wild card. Extremely talented, Ward has yet to make his name known as of yet.
The biggest issue here is whether anyone can step up and cover the opposing team's No. 1 guy. How will the 49ers do against the Antonio Brown, A.J. Green, Randall Cobb, Alshon Jeffery types? They should be concerned about this, especially if the defense is lacking from a pass-rush standpoint.
Quick Notes
* Kaepernick has yet to find a rhythm with new receiver Torrey Smith in live-game action. The quarterback indicated after Sunday's game that he's working hard to fine tune that relationship. It's going to be vital to the team's success on offense for those two to make big plays during the regular year.
* Rookie Ian Silberman is getting a look with the first-team offense at right guard. He's performed well during camp and in the first two preseason games. In fact, Pro Football Focus gave him a +1.6 grade last week.
* Personally, I would like to see the 49ers go with some 20-personnel packages this weekend against Denver. This means lining up three wide receivers while keeping two running backs in the backfield. If Reggie Bush makes his 49ers debut, this is something the team might very well do. With his receiving ability, this could be a boon for the team. Another package that interests me is three wide receivers with two tight ends. San Francisco has the personnel to run that package, especially if the team lines Bush up in the slot.
* Speaking of Bush, he seems to be a lock to make the team. Despite not seeing any game action thus far, the 49ers are going to be relying on his receiving ability, potentially even at wide receiver. With the way Hayne has performed in the return game, some thought Bush might be out of a job.
* Interestingly, San Francisco didn't seem to make a big play for Evan Mathis on the open market. With the departure of Mike Iupati in free agency and Anthony Davis' sudden retirement, the team's offensive line has to be a worry. I personally loved the idea of signing Mathis and starting Alex Boone at right tackle. Though, it appears the 49ers are happy with their youngsters. Second-year interior lineman Brandon Thomas, who missed his entire rookie campaign with a torn ACL, has performed exceptionally well. The could be one of the primary reasons San Francisco avoided Mathis.