The San Francisco 49ers were rather quiet in free agency this offseason, letting several veterans walk, while not signing any player to a deal worth more than $5.25 million per year.

Instead, the goal was to rely on and develop the team’s younger talent as they cleaned the books in what seemed like a ‘bridge’ year for the organization.

But, several of those 49ers free agents have been tasked to play key roles at some point this season. So, let’s go back and revisit those decisions and see how the production has been so far.

TE Luke Farrell

The 49ers...

Many fans have been wondering when the San Francisco 49ers will see what they have in rookie third-round pick Nick Martin. After all, this is a defense that has struggled mightily since Fred Warner dislocated his ankle a month ago.

For much of the season, Martin was a healthy scratch. Martin’s season debut came in Week 7 on special teams. Since then, he’s played on the kickoff, and both kick and punt return teams—no defensive snaps. Head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked if there have been discussions about letting Martin learn the strongside linebacker role, in hopes of getting him...

The Arizona Cardinals won’t have their top wide receiver, Marvin Harrison Jr., in Week 11. The second-year pro had surgery for appendicitis, which will keep him out of a home game against the San Francisco 49ers this week.

Harrison Jr. is second on the Cardinals in targets, receptions, yards, and touchdowns, behind tight end Trey McBride. There’s a significant drop-off in production after McBridge and Harrison Jr. for Arizona. Only one player has more than 20 receptions and 200 receiving yards. That player is Michael Wilson, who didn’t have more than 20 yards receiving in a game until Week 6....

The 49ers’ decision not to make a swing for a pass rusher on trade deadline day last week raised some eyebrows, with San Francisco unwilling to pay a premium to boost a defensive line clearly in desperate need of help.

Last Sunday’s 42-26 defeat to the Los Angeles Rams served as an illustration of why, even with the 49ers having already made an offseason trade for Bryce Huff and acquired Keion White before the deadline, many believed they needed additional help.

On the other side of the ball, the same game provided more evidence that an offseason trade made to...

It’s usually doom and gloom after a loss. The finger-pointing among fans is non-stop, the playoffs shouldn’t be discussed, and somebody needs to be fired. Heading into Week 11, the San Francisco 49ers are on the outside looking in of the NFC playoff picture and sit third in the NFC West standings.

Let’s ignore the playoffs —well, kinda —and speculate on how many games the 49ers will win for the rest of the season. Remember, this is the NFL. The Packers just lost to the Panthers two weeks ago. The Bills lost to the Dolphins last week. Anything can happen...

Week 10 Tape Takeaways: It’s the 2024 Duo nightmare all over again (paywall)
“On Sunday, the Rams ran the ball 27 times, excluding kneels. I tracked 17 of those runs as Duo to the tune of 63 yards.

That 3.7 yards per carry average isn’t staggering, but 11 of those runs went for at least five yards. It’s the type of run that wears on a defense if it has susceptible edges and defensive tackles, and benefits from smaller linebackers.

It’s not a play that always nets explosives, but it’s one which churns away at weak fronts at an efficient...

The San Francisco 49ers have been without starting quarterback Brock Purdy since Week 4, when he re-aggravated a toe injury sustained in the Week 1 win over the Seattle Seahawks.

In his place, backup Mac Jones has impressed, going 5-3 as the starter, while throwing for 2,151 yards, 13 touchdowns, and six interceptions. Jones, who signed a two-year deal in the offseason, has been turnover-prone in the past. He threw double-digit interceptions in his first three years in the NFL with the New England Patriots before having eight in 10 games last year for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

But, he’s been...

The San Francisco 49ers struggled in a 42-26 loss to the Los Angeles Rams over the weekend, getting blown out as they got off to a slow start and just couldn’t manufacture enough stops in the defeat.

It was a demoralizing game, as the 49ers had a prime opportunity to get a step in the division at 6-3 with a 3-0 NFC West record. Instead, they fell to 6-4, dropping 1.5 games behind the Los Angeles Rams and the Seattle Seahawks.

The 49ers are still very much in the playoff race, currently being the first team out of the NFC...

We’ve tracked these playoff pictures weekly to show how fickle these playoff races get. A couple of games ago, the San Francisco 49ers were sitting pretty in the No. 2 seed. Today, they are on the outside looking in of the NFC playoff picture.

NFC Standings

Contenders

1) Philadelphia Eagles 7-2 (6-1 in the conference)
2) Seattle Seahawks 7-2 (4-2)
3) Detroit Lions 6-3 (3-2)
4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers 6-3 (4-2)
5) Los Angeles Rams 7-2 (2-2)

On Monday, Rohan asked whether the 49ers are true contenders after Week 10. I think these five teams can be considered NFC...

Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams wasn’t completely unexpected for the San Francisco 49ers, but man, was it deflating at times, given the lack of resistance from the defense. The 49ers’ defense actually generated one more pressure than the 15 against the Giants, but the back seven had a tough time holding up in coverage and against the run. Matthew Stafford is playing out of his mind right now, but the 49ers’ defense fell apart during many drives, especially the secondary. Finding a bounce-back player for the defense wasn’t easy, but I found someone who fit the description. The...

The zig-zagging continued this past week for the San Francisco 49ers, who have not won consecutive games since Weeks 2 and 3. That’s somewhat to be expected when you have a backup quarterback, are without your WR1 and TE1 for a good chunk, if not all of those games, and no longer have your two best players on defense.

Week 10 was the bottom for the 49ers’ defense after allowing 42 points to the Los Angeles Rams. There are no moral victories when you give up 40+ at home. Everybody is suffering injuries in the NFL, but it didn’t look...

The San Francisco 49ers’ undefeated streak against the NFC West came to a crashing halt on Sunday after a blowout 42-26 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

San Francisco made the mistake of falling behind the Rams by 21 points before getting on the board, and while they came close to catching Los Angeles, the deficit proved too big to overcome.

With the form the Rams had been in entering Week 10, the result shouldn’t come as a surprise, but San Francisco didn’t do themselves any favors with how often they shot themselves in the foot. Let’s go over what...