49ers' Biggest Question Marks Ahead of 2021 Training Camp

The 2021 NFL training camp season continues to draw closer, and the San Francisco 49ers appear poised for a bounce-back season.

After reaching the Super Bowl in 2019, San Francisco suffered through a disaster of a 2020 campaign largely because of injuries. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, tight end George Kittle and pass-rusher Nick Bosa were just some of the key contributors who missed significant time last season.

Getting healthier should allow the 49ers to dramatically improve in 2021, and staying healthy may be the biggest key this offseason. Most of San Francisco's 2019 Super Bowl roster will be back. However, some question marks do remain heading into camp, and we'll examine the biggest three here.

Jimmy Garoppolo's Health

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This is the big one, as the 49ers' season could hinge on Garoppolo's ability to stay on the field. Durability has been his biggest issue; the quarterback has played well when healthy but has also missed 23 games in three seasons.

While losing players like Kittle, Bosa, Deebo Samuel and Dee Ford hurt the 49ers last season, inconsistent quarterback play without Garoppolo doomed them. San Francisco was 3-3 when Jimmy G started and 3-7 when he did not.

Of course, San Francisco does have its succession plan in place after using the third overall pick on North Dakota State's Trey Lance. However, the 49ers have also made it clear they aren't going to rush the rookie into game action.

For now, anyway, Garoppolo is the starter.

"Now that we know Trey is here, you don't have to put the weight of the world on that kid's shoulders. And he can grow into that position," CEO Jed York said, per Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area.

There's a chance that Lance—who played just one game last season—could be ready to lead San Francisco to the postseason as the starter. However, the 49ers don't want to be forced into making a quarterback change because of another Garoppolo injury. Keeping Garoppolo healthy through camp will be the first piece of the equation.

The Running Back Rotation

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The 49ers backfield isn't a question mark in the sense that it lacks talent. The 49ers have Raheem Mostert, free-agent acquisition Wayne Gallman Jr., rookies Trey Sermon and Elijah Mitchell plus JaMycal Hasty and Jeff Wilson Jr.—though Wilson is recovering from a torn meniscus and will likely miss a chunk of the season.

The question mark here is how San Francisco plans to map out its running back rotation. Head coach Kyle Shanahan loves to utilize multiple backs, and two recent contributors, Jerick McKinnon and Tevin Coleman, departed in the offseason.

Mostert should remain the starter after starting eight games in 2020, but losing Wilson for an extended time (600 rushing yards, seven touchdowns last season) will hurt. Sorting out the depth behind Mostert could be the key to San Francisco's rushing success in 2021.

Mostert is happy with what he's seen from Sermon and Mitchell—third- and sixth-round selections, respectively.

"Trey and Elijah, those two guys, they're really learning under me right now, and they're understanding the game and what it takes to be a pro, and they're handling it so well," Mostert told SiriusXM NFL Radio (h/t Alex Didion of NBC Sports Bay Area.

Depth was an issue last year, and the usually run-heavy 49ers finished 14th in rushing attempts and 16th in yards per carry. Defining roles ahead of the regular season will go a long way toward a rushing resurgence in 2021.

Pass-Rushing Depth

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Like the rest of the team, the 49ers pass rush underwhelmed in 2020. A year after notching 48 team sacks, San Francisco had only 30 last season. Injuries to Bosa and Dee Ford played a large role in that disapppointment, but the 49ers will need to figure out who, other than Bosa, can dominate this season.

Ford has been a bit disappointing since arriving in a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs. He had 6.5 sacks in 2019 and played one game before suffering neck and back injuries last season. Arik Armstead has been a consistent presence along the defensive front but notched only 3.5 sacks last season.

Kerry Hyder led the 49ers with 8.5 sacks in 2020 but left for the rival Seattle Seahawks in free agency. San Francisco added Samson Ebukam, who had 4.5 sacks for the Los Angeles Rams last year.

2020 first-round pick Javon Kinlaw could add pressure from the interior, but he'll have to be better than he was as a rookie (33 tackles, 1.5 sacks). Kinlaw was not the same interior pressure specialist the 49ers lost when they traded DeForest Buckner (19.5 sacks between 2018 and 2019).

Naturally, the return of 2019 Defensive Rookie of the Year Bosa will provide a notable boost to the 49ers pass rush. He's going to regularly command double-teams, though, and the 49ers must identify other pass-rushing options before the start of the regular season.