Silver Linings from a Nightmare Season

I'd say I don't want to throw the baby out with the bath water. I'd say the glass is half full. But there's not enough water in a glass or bathtub to put out a dumpster fire.

Kyle Shanahan summed up how most 49ers fans were feeling when he said following the 49ers' Week 17 loss to Seattle, "I'm very happy the season's over."

There's a lot of negatives to dwell on following the 2020 campaign. Injuries. Missing the playoffs. More injuries. Drama with Santa Clara officials. And don't forget the impending exodus of Robert Saleh and the cadre of UDFAs he'll surely take with him.

I'm trying really hard to be positive. I'd say I don't want to throw the baby out with the bath water. I'd say the glass is half full. But there's not enough water in a glass or bathtub to put out a dumpster fire.

Nonetheless, lets dig deep and examine some silver linings from the burning trash receptacle that was the 49ers 2020 season.

Silver linings such as Kerry Hyder, Brandon Aiyuk, Jason Verrett and improved draft status are obvious. Instead, let's focus on points the average bear might not recognize. And speaking of average Bears, if the 49ers sign Mitch Trubisky, I take back all the positive things in this column. It'd then be appropriate to press the red and gold panic button.

Hot Pepper

The 49ers may have discovered their long snapper of the future. Okay, so, "long snapper of the future" is a bit dramatic, but the 26-year-old was a breath of fresh air after replacing Kyle Nelson and his yips. Pepper was flawless on 100-plus special teams snaps and even got his hands dirty with a couple tackles on punt coverage and helping down the ball at the 1-yard line against Washington.

Imagine if Nelson remained steady and his yips didn't appear until, say, a playoff stretch in 2021. The 49ers removed a malignant growth they were unaware they had entering the 2020 season.

Compensatory Picks

The 49ers haven't been big players in the compensatory pick market in recent history. That should change in April 2022.

The formula used to award extra draft picks involves subtracting valuable players acquired in free agency from valuable players lost. Because the 49ers have an astounding 39 players whose contracts expire in March, and won't come close to signing them all, that bodes well for San Francisco's chances of getting free picks next off-season.

QB Data

Entering the season, Nick Mullens was arguably one of the most coveted backup quarterbacks in football. Mullens was poised for a solid contract, perhaps even as a starter on a weaker team.

The 49ers adore Mullens, and perhaps planned to sign him as a well-paid backup after the 2022 season. Mullens showed the 49ers he is not a starting quarterback, and not worth bending over backwards to re-sign.

Like Mullens, C.J. Beathard and Jimmy Garoppolo showed 49ers' brass a little more about who they are too. Beathard set a career high in completion percentage (63.5%), and his QB Rating (105.7) was more than 20 points higher than his previous high-water mark in 2018. Garoppolo answered questions about whether or not he is an injury-prone quarterback.

While the results were often disappointing, the 49ers' quarterback performances gave them data and answered questions about the most important position on the roster. As a bonus, the Niners acquired wild card Josh Rosen, which never would have happened without injuries to Garoppolo and Mullens.

Offensive Line Depth

Ben Garland and Weston Richburg never played a snap for the 49ers this season. This forced Daniel Brunskill to become acclimated to a new position and gave rookie Colton McKivitz experience as well. Justin Skule also gained experience filling in twice for Trent Williams and even as a long snapper.

Assuming the 49ers add starting offensive linemen in the draft of free agency, the starting experience younger offensive linemen got in 2020 could make them invaluable backups. Brunskill's proven versatility gives the 49ers several paths to address need at the position.

Divisional Success

Despite finishing 6-10, San Francisco finished 3-3 in the NFC West. The two wins against the Rams cost Los Angeles the division crown. The late-season win against the Cardinals cost Arizona its first playoff berth since 2015. And while the 49ers were swept by Seattle, they showed that even while depleted with injuries, they can hang with the Seahawks.

If the 49ers are to return to playoff form, they need to consistently beat teams in their division, and they showed in 2020 they are capable of that.

Now, let's just hope Shanahan extinguishes fires as well as he extinguishes double-digit fourth-quarter super bowl leads.

Follow Tony Farmer on Twitter @tonyshealthtips for more 49ers banter.