There were no significant changes to the full-back, but the 49ers’ early free-kick moves expressed confidence, with head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch during off-season Jimmy Garoppolo.
Although it is speculated that they may make a backup via trade or free agency to compete with Garoppolo at some level, no such move has been made. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jacoby Brissett, Cam Newton and Jameis Winston all got offers and opportunities to get started. San Francisco’s only interest was in former Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky, who signed a one-year deal with the Bills. Their only report on a signal caller was a personal visit with veteran QB Joe Flacco.
If you do not make a trade or a significant move on the board on a draft day, it appears that Garoppolo has a stranglehold on the initial work.
Instead of trying to get a player to push Garoppolo, San Francisco moved on to help protect him and re-establish a defense that could win a championship.
They colored the left tackle for Trent Williams into a contract that makes the highest earnings in the league. They also added six-time Pro Bowl center Alex Mack to a three-year deal that will yield a bad domestic offensive line that has given the 49ers trouble over the past few seasons. It is important to keep Garoppolo healthy, and it will help a lot to keep him upright.
San Francisco also signed fullback Kyle Juszczyk, who is one of the keys to unlocking the run that makes the 49ers’ attack so dangerous. Versatility and deception allow runners to find open holes and run passers-by – both things that make life easier on a quarterback who may need help playing.
Although they did not make any other major additions to the attack, they re-signed Emmanuel Moseley and Jason Verrett, the forwards on the outside. The 49ers also boosted their pace with hyper-athletic lead Samson Ebukam offering depth on the edge and a possible replacement for Dee Ford if the often injured defensive goal were not available.
There are still some adjustments to be made before the 49ers have a roster that can legally compete for a Super Bowl this year. They need a better depth at the wide receiver, still need help to turn in the corner, and more depth in the trenches will not damage either side of the ball.
If they can score all the subjects in the off-season and stay healthy, it is not out of the question that they will compete for a championship again if Garoppolo starts below center.
The truth is that they are setting up a roster that can win with a player like him barking. It links an explosive attack with a bunch of catchers, whose specialty is meters behind the catch.
It’s a team that can win, even if their back player has shortcomings. There will be pieces missing from the passing attack and some frustrating pockets and turnover due to the lack of Garoppolo, but the organization clearly believes they can win with him this year. Everything they said, and every move out of season, made it.
On the other hand, there is still time for the club to make a splash. Texan full-back Deshaun Watson still wants to trade, although he is now being investigated by the NFL for violating the league’s personal behavior policy. The Jets can also trade quarterback Sam Darnold. The concept will also tell us a lot about how the 49ers feel about Garoppolo. If they trade in for a quarterback in the first round, it will have uncertainty about his status as an appetizer during the season, even if he is the appetizer in the year.
San Francisco has not taken steps beyond this year to commit to Garoppolo, in part because of his shortcomings on the field, and in part because of his inability to stay healthy in two of the past three years. However, the steps they have taken indicate confidence in him in 2021. With a talented roster being built around him, the 49ers’ career this season will be determined by what kind of play they get from the caller they decide to keep.