Ranking the San Francisco 49ers' 7 Biggest Losses This Offseason

The San Francisco 49ers lost seven key players this offseason. Frank Gore isn’t one of them, and neither is Mike Iupati.

Those two were a couple of the slowest players on possibly the slowest offense in the NFL last season. Those two needed to go. They still can play, but they’re a poor fit for the Niners.

The Niners needed to get faster on offense this offseason, so they replaced Gore with Reggie Bush, one of the faster running backs in the NFL. And they adopted a zone-blocking scheme, one which Iupati can’t execute. Zone blocking requires fast offensive linemen, and Iupati is slow.

All credit goes to the Niners for letting those two sign with other teams during free agency.

But the following seven losses probably will hurt San Francisco next season. Here are its biggest losses in ascending order.

7. Andy Lee, Punter

Brian Bahr/Getty Images

In 2013, Andy Lee averaged 48.0 yards per punt—third best in the NFL.

In 2014, he averaged 46.8 yards per punt—tied for sixth best in the NFL.

He’s only 32 years old. He turns 33 in August. Without a doubt, Lee is one of the best punters in the NFL and will continue to be for few more seasons at least.

And yet, the Niners replaced him. They drafted punter Bradley Pinion in Round No. 5 and traded Lee to the Cleveland Browns for a seventh-round pick in 2017, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

When I watched Pinion punt during OTAs, he seemed to have a strong leg. But he averaged just 42.6 yards per punt last season at Clemson. Thirty punters in the NFL averaged more than 42.6 yards per punt last season, according to Pro Football Focus.

So why did the Niners promote Pinion and trade Lee? Probably because they didn’t want to pay a punter the $2.05 million they owed Lee in 2015. Pinion will earn the league minimum.

This seems like a money-saving move.

6. Chris Culliver, Cornerback

Michael Zito/Associated Press

Last season was Chris Culliver’s first season as a starting cornerback in the NFL. He started at right cornerback for the Niners.

Pro Football Focus gave him a plus-8.0 grade in 2014—tied for 15th best in the NFL with two-time Pro Bowl corner Aqib Talib of the Denver Broncos.

Culliver never gave up more than four catches or 68 receiving yards in a game last season, per Pro Football Focus. Opposing offenses didn’t test him.

This offseason, he signed with the Washington Redskins, and the Niners replaced him at right cornerback with former San Diego Chargers cornerback Shareece Wright, who earned a minus-16.8 grade from Pro Football Focus and committed 11 penalties last season. Culliver committed three.

Right cornerback is now a weakness.

5. Chris Borland, Inside Linebacker

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

Chris Borland had limitations, such as covering tight ends and chasing running backs to the sideline, but he made 108 tackles as a rookie last season even though he started only eight games.

The 49ers spent a third-round pick on Borland in 2014. Part of the reason they didn’t want to trade up for superstar Odell Beckham Jr. last year was they didn’t want to give up their third-round pick.

“You would have given up three young quality players to get one,” Baalke said on 95.7 The Game, according to Niners Nation.

It seemed the Niners had found a future Pro Bowler with their third-round pick. Borland seemed likely to be a 49er for a long time.

And then he retired just like that. After only one year. His replacement is veteran Michael Wilhoite, a better special teams player than inside linebacker. Pro Football Focus gave him a minus-7.0 run-defense grade in 2014.

4. Ray McDonald, Defensive End

Ben Margot/Associated Press

Technically, the 49ers released Ray McDonald before the offseason began. He’s such a significant loss, I’m including him anyway.

The 49ers cut McDonald in December, which seems to have been the right move. He was arrested twice last season. The Chicago Bears signed him this offseason. But he got arrested two more times, and then they cut him too. He currently is not on an NFL roster.

But he’s an outstanding player. Last season, Pro Football Focus ranked him the 12th-best 3-4 defensive end in the NFL, one spot behind future Hall of Famer Justin Smith.

If the 49ers still had McDonald, they wouldn’t necessarily have had to spend the 17th pick on Arik Armstead, a 21-year-old project defensive end.

Armstead probably won’t play much next season as he develops. The Niners probably won’t fully replace McDonald for a year or two.

3. Justin Smith, Defensive Tackle

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

The 49ers probably never will fully replace Justin Smith.

He is one of the best players in franchise history, up there with Bryant Young. Maybe better than Young.

If Smith wanted to play next season, he could start for any team, let alone the Niners. But he doesn’t want to play next season. He retired.

The Niners have to try to replicate Smith’s production with a platoon of players—a run defender like Glenn Dorsey or Quinton Dial in the base defense and an interior pass-rusher like Darnell Dockett or Tank Carradine in the sub-packages.

Those four are quality players, and the Niners should have a good defensive line next season—but not nearly as good as it would be with Smith on the field.

2. Anthony Davis, Offensive Tackle

Dave Martin/Associated Press

Anthony Davis is not a better player than Justin Smith, but Davis is the more essential player given the makeup of the Niners’ roster.

The 49ers’ running game falls apart without Davis in the lineup. It averaged 5.4 yards per carry with Davis and just 3.9 without him last season—the difference between elite and awful.

Davis was the difference. Alex Boone, Mike Iupati and Joe Staley played when Davis was out, and the Niners still couldn’t run the ball. No one could make up for Davis’ absence.

The Niners have to hope rookie seventh-round draft pick Trent Brown can become a powerful run-blocker like Davis. During OTAs he showed he has quick feet, according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. We’ll find out during the preseason how he fares in the 49ers’ running game.

1. Patrick Willis, Inside Linebacker

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

Patrick Willis probably would have been the best player on the 49ers next season if he hadn’t retired.

He’s only 30, an all-time great run defender and he can cover the 49ers’ newest division rival—Seattle Seahawks tight end Jimmy Graham. Willis can cover him in the base defense on first down and in the sub-packages on second and third down.

Without Willis, the 49ers don’t have a linebacker who can cover Graham in their base defense. They might have to use a dime defense and put a cornerback on Graham just to match up with the Seahawks' passing game. That would leave the 49ers defense vulnerable to Marshawn Lynch and the Seahawks' running game.

It’s catch-22.

Follow @grantcohn