49ers Offense Needs to Lean on Their Youth More

If the 49ers want to see any improvement on offense, then they need to start leaning on their youth more.

Nov 10, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (14) celebrates with wide receiver Jauan Jennings (15) after scoring a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

2024 has been a dreadful year for the San Francisco 49ers offense.

Scoring touchdowns in the red zone has been abysmal all season long for them and so has putting together consistently sustained drives. Deebo Samuel has been awful and Christian McCaffrey didn't start to heat up until this past week before getting hurt.

The offense is completely out of sorts with no hope of improving it. However, there is something the 49ers should try to get their offense going again. The 49ers offense needs to lean on their youth more. Utilizing Samuel can no longer be one of the go-to plays for them.

Samuel will be used as a last resort. Let him be the decoy indefinitely. It's time for the 49ers to see what they have in rookies Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing. Neither has been a factor aside for one game each. For Pearsall, he had a strong game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The 49ers never went back to him after that or even tried. For Cowing, it was against the Kansas City Chiefs. He stepped up when Brandon Aiyuk exited with a torn ACL and MCL. Cowing looked so good in his limited opportunities. Alas, much like with Pearsall, the 49ers never went back to Cowing after that or even tried to.

You can say the same with rookie Isaac Guerendo. He will be featured heavily moving forward now that Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason are out for the season. But before the injuries, he was a forgotten player on the depth chart. As soon as McCaffrey returned, Guerendo was nothing more than a twinkle in Kyle Shanahan's eye.

It would be one thing if Pearsall, Cowing, and Guerendo were playing poorly, but that wasn't the case at all. Almost every opportunity that they each were given has generated a positive impact. That should warrant an increased role or at least get a moment in every game.

The 49ers' season is essentially over. They mathematically are still alive in the playoff race, but let's be real, this team is not playoff material. Let the youngsters get some opportunities and further their development to set the offense up for next season.

It's all about investing in the future. Samuel is a player who has no future with the 49ers or it's blurry at best. Pearsall, Cowing, and Guerendo each have a future. They can be part of the new core for the 49ers for years to come. Now is the time to see what they got. It can't get any worse for the 49ers.

Besides, what they've been doing beforehand hasn't worked. Why not try to generate a spark with the young players? For all they know, the 49ers will have found future Pro Bowl players on their hands to make themselves a fearful offense again for next season.