The 49ers’ offense may finally be headed for a real shake-up.
For a few years now, the unit has looked pretty familiar. That could change this season, starting with the arrival of Mike Evans, who should give the group a very different look once he’s healthy. Evans brings something Jauan Jennings and Brandon Aiyuk don’t, and he should be a major boost in the red zone.
But Evans may not be the only new face in the starting lineup.
The first big decision comes at receiver, where the 49ers have to choose who lines up opposite Evans: Ricky Pearsall or rookie De’Zhaun Stribling. Pearsall has the experience edge. He’s entering his third season and already knows the system.
Still, there are real reasons Stribling could win the job. Pearsall and Evans were the two worst receivers in the NFL last season in yards-after-the-catch over expected, which makes them a poor fit together. Pearsall also doesn’t bring much as a blocker on the edge.
Stribling, by contrast, is a strong blocker and does his best work with the ball in his hands. That gives him a better chance to complement Evans and, just as important, help a running game that has been stuck in neutral.
Pearsall can run routes, but that’s about where the list of strengths starts to thin out. He has just three touchdowns in two seasons, and his game falls off if he’s anything less than 95 percent healthy because it depends so heavily on speed and finesse.
If Pearsall and Stribling both fail to seize the spot this offseason, another name could come back into the picture: Deebo Samuel. He remains a free agent and, according to the source, would probably be interested in trying to revive his career with the coach who helped make it.
There could also be a change at tight end.
George Kittle will start once he returns from his torn Achilles tendon, and that could happen as early as Week 1. The question is who lines up with him.
For the last nine years, that role has belonged to fullback Kyle Juszczyk. But Juszczyk is 35, is on the final year of a two-year, $7.5 million deal, and is not expected to be on the roster next year.
The 49ers also handed backup tight end Jake Tonges a two-year, $8 million contract this offseason, which puts him ahead of Juszczyk financially. Tonges is 27 and entering his prime, and he offers far more as a receiver than Juszczyk ever did. When Kittle missed time last season, Tonges produced and caught a lot of passes.
Even so, Kittle and Tonges were on the field together for only four snaps last season. That should change now.
With Tonges getting the new deal, the expectation is that he and Kittle will share the field often this year, which leaves Juszczyk in a tougher spot. He just doesn’t block at the same level he once did.
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