2014 Season
The 2014 season was, to say the least, an absolute mess for the 49ers. All season long there were reports of turmoil within the front office and head coach Jim Harbaugh along with reports of Harbaugh losing the locker room. Not only was it a mess off the field, it was a mess on the field. For either the whole or large majority of the season the 49ers were without NaVorro Bowman, Patrick Willis, Brandon Thomas, Daniel Kilgore, Vernon Davis, Vance McDonald, Kendall Hunter, Ian Williams, Glenn Dorsey, Aldon Smith (nine game suspension to start the season due to off the field issues), Chris Borland, Tramaine Brock, Chris Culliver, Chris Cook, and Jimmie Ward. To lose that much talent is a lot to overcome.
The 49ers finished the season with only seven wins, by far their worst record in the Jim Harbaugh era. The season ended with the “mutual parting of ways” between the 49ers and Harbaugh. It was a long season and has left a lot of questions going into the 2015 season.
2015 Free Agents
Michael Crabtree - Crabtree had the most disappointing season of his career in 2014. In 2013 he had an Achilles injury that kept him out most of the season but showed great chemistry with Colin Kaepernick when he returned. Coming into the 2014 season completely healthy had a lot of people thinking he was headed for a great year. He finished the season with 68 receptions, 698 yards, and only four touchdowns. I don’t expect Crabtree to be back with the 49ers because he will surely want more money than the 49ers will be willing to pay.
Mike Iupati - The offensive line struggled this past season, especially in pass protection. However, the 49ers intend on running the ball more in 2015 and Iupati is one of the best run blocking guards in the NFL. The problem: the 49ers have so much money tied up in their other offensive linemen (Joe Staley, Alex Boone, and Anthony Davis) they most likely won’t be able to afford what Iupati will be able to get elsewhere.
Brandon Lloyd - This was a one-year deal for last season and didn’t work out great but wasn’t awful. Lloyd gave the offense a little bit of explosion but not enough for them to bring him back for another season. The 49ers will likely address the wide receiver position through other avenues in 2015.
Frank Gore - Frank Gore is extremely important to this offense. While he’s getting up there in age and his skillset might not be quite what it use to be, he is, without a doubt, their biggest leader on offense. I could see the 49ers bringing him back for one more season on a team friendly deal considering Gore has made it known he wasn’t to remain a 49er. If he doesn’t re-sign, I would think it’s because he’s choosing retirement instead.
Perrish Cox - Cox has been a bit of a journeyman in his short career. Last season he was cut by the 49ers, signed by the Seattle Seahawks, cut again, and then re-signed by the 49ers. This season with all the injuries the 49ers had in the secondary he was thrown into a much bigger role than the team had expected and he excelled. Bringing Cox back would be very good for this defense.
Chris Culliver - Culliver is another important piece to this secondary. He missed the entire 2013 season and had a very strong 2014 season. Although he missed a few games here and there, he was the 49ers’ best cornerback. I think the 49ers end up bringing Culliver back under market value due to the offseason he had last year and his injury history.
Michael Wilhoite - Wilhoite had to fill incredibly big shoes this season when he started at linebacker in place of injured NaVorro Bowman. He played extremely well and likely earned himself more money this offseason. Someone will probably bring him in to compete for a starting spot and the 49ers won’t be able to match the price to have Wilhoite sitting behind Willis, Bowman, and Borland on the depth chart.
Dan Skuta - Skuta seems to have found a spot for himself in San Francisco. He provides great depth at the outside linebacker position and is an important part of the defense and special teams.
2015 Cap Room: $1,348,658
Five-Biggest Need Areas
Wide Receiver
The 49ers have needed a playmaker wide receiver that can stretch the field and take the tops off of defenses. With Anquan Boldin, Quinton Patton, and Bruce Ellington as the only definite wide receivers on the roster for 2015, they have a lot of work to do at this position.
Cornerback
With the new coaching staff coming into San Francisco, the defense will likely be much more aggressive than it was under previous defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. This means more strain will be put on the secondary and the 49ers will be in the market for more of a shutdown corner they won’t have to worry about putting on an island.
Defensive Line:
The defensive line might be a tad thin in 2015. Justin Smith might be retiring and Tony Jerod-Eddie might leave in free agency, which would leave Tank Carradine, Quinton Dial, and Kaleb Ramsey as the only players able to play defensive tackle/end.
Tight End:
In 2014 the 49ers barely had any production at this position. Vernon Davis was plagued by injury most of the season and even when he was supposedly completely healthy he seemed to have lost a step. There’s a chance he becomes a cap casualty this offseason. His backup, Vance McDonald, was also injured for most of the season and hasn’t shown the progress the front office would liked to have seen at this point.
Interior Offensive Line:
Assuming they let Mike Iupati walk, the 49ers will have Daniel Kilgore, Marcus Martin, Brandon Thomas, and Joe Looney as options at left guard (either Kilgore or Martin will be the starting center). They’ll certainly want to add depth in the interior but they might even try finding an improvement at starter if they find the right value in the upcoming draft.
Potential Offseason Breakout Star
I think someone who is set to have a much better 2015 season is wide receiver Quinton Patton. He has a great skill set and can really make plays once they get him the ball. On top of that, he has great chemistry with Colin Kaepernick. If the 49ers can land a receiver to stretch out defenses, Patton would be a good option for the 49ers lining up in the slot.
2015 NFL Draft Selections
1st Round (15)
2nd Round (14)
3rd Round (15)
4th Round (27)
5th Round (15)
6th Round (14)
7th Round (29)
This offseason for the 49ers has already had its fair share of unexpected events and I think it’s going to have plenty more. With a completely new coaching staff (that still isn’t completely filled out) there is a chance there will be a lot of turnover on the roster this summer. Only time will tell but one thing we know for sure is that it will be incredibly interesting.