One Change the 49ers Should Make to Their Offense

Right now, the 49ers have built their offense around their running game. That's why their offensive line is so much better at run blocking than pass blocking.
One Change the 49ers Should Make to Their Offense
One Change the 49ers Should Make to Their Offense /
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So far this offseason, the 49ers have changed virtually nothing about their offense. They've brought back all 11 starters and most of the backups. 

But in a few months, they presumably will give Brandon Aiyuk a massive contract extension worth more than $25 million per season. And then next year, they most likely will give Brock Purdy a gigantic contract extension worth more than $50 million per season. And suddenly, the 49ers will have one of the most expensive quarterback-wide-receiver combinations in the NFL, which is great, if the 49ers actually commit to building around their passing game.

Right now, the 49ers have built their offense around their running game. That's why their offensive line is so much better at run blocking than pass blocking -- the 49ers prioritize the rushing attack. Which means the 49ers don't have the pass protection to optimize the Purdy-Aiyuk connection.

And that's because the 49ers have the highest-paid fullback, the highest-paid running back and the highest-paid wide back in the NFL. Between these three players -- Kyle Juszczyk, Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel -- the 49ers pay almost $45 million per season on average.

But the most valuable players on the offense now are Purdy and Aiyuk, and so it's time for the 49ers to reallocate some of the money in the backfield to positions that help the passing game, such as offensive line, tight end or wide receiver. Literally anything other than a wide back.

Purdy and Aiyuk could be one of the best connections in the NFL for the next five years if the 49ers allow them to flourish.


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Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.