It hasn’t been the season the 49ers envisioned, as San Francisco sits just 4-6 through 11 weeks, and occupies last place in the competitive NFC West after a run to the Super Bowl a season ago.
But according to NBC Sports’ Chris Simms, there are plenty of positives to take away from this subpar campaign.
“How could you not be excited about your receivers,” Simms told NBC Sports Bay Area. “You got two stars in (Brandon) Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel. It’s Shanahan, you know the offensive line and the running games are going to be good.
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SIGN UP HERE “Man how could you not be excited about how the defensive line looks now, let alone without Nick Bosa, they get him back next year, Javon Kinlaw he’s going in the right direction the right way, Kentavius Street, the guy that tears his ACL, you see him last week, he’s another beast to add to the defensive line.”
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers recently referred to Fred Warner as "possibly" the NFL’s top middle linebacker, and Simms also believes that position will be a strength for the 49ers going forward.
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“It’s an unbelievable tandem, I mean Fred Warner is in the conversation for the best middle linebacker in football, there’s too many positive things across the roster.”
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An unrelenting wave of injuries has kept numerous starters off the field for multiple games this season, including quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, tight end George Kittle and cornerback Richard Sherman.
Even when healthy, the 49ers haven’t quite lived up to the elevated expectations following last year’s dominant campaign. That being said, Simms still sees some positives from this season that can be built on going into 2021.