49ers: How high will their offense jump in 2017?

Last season the San Francisco 49ers offense ranked among the worst in the NFL. But in 2017 there is reason to believe the 49ers offense will jump in the rankings.

In 2016 the San Francisco 49ers offense ranked 31st overall, with the 32nd ranked passing offense and they were 4th in rushing. The reality is that there’s nowhere to go but up. But with offensive guru Kyle Shanahan as the new head coach, the question is how high up will they go?

One of the biggest things that held the San Francisco 49ers offense back last season was a lack of a big time play maker on offense. Particularly at wide receiver where the 49ers put their faith in guys like Torrey Smith, Jeremy Kerley and Quinton Patton.

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Smith is a good number two receiver, Kerley is a solid possession receiver but there was no one on the team who scared defenses.

Quarterback play could be considered an issue but Colin Kaepernick’s numbers weren’t bad but he and Blaine Gabbert just couldn’t put enough points on the board. Chip Kelly’s offense was a problem as well.

Yes, when Kelly coached the Philadelphia Eagles his offenses were among to the best in the NFL. However, as time moved on, defenses began to catch up to the uptempo offense. It’s still nearly unstoppable in College Football but NFL defenses are complex enough to fight back against it.

Obviously there’s a lot more defensive talent in the NFL than in college and the athletes are in better condition to keep up with the fast tempo. So, hiring Kyle Shanahan is a step in the right direction for the future of the 49ers offense. But what about the present?

As offensive coordinator with the Atlanta Falcons, Kyle Shanahan directed the highest scoring offense in the NFL last season. At times the Falcons offense was unstoppable and a lot of that was because of Shanahan’s offensive design.

However, there will be no Matt Ryan and no Julio Jones in San Francisco, so the going will be tougher for Kyle Shanahan with the 49ers. But improving the offense isn’t an impossible task.

I like quarterback Brian Hoyer. Again, he’s no Matt Ryan but you know what you’re going to get from Hoyer. He’ll complete around 60% of his passes and he’ll throw close to twice as many TD’s as interceptions.

Kyle Shanahan will mold the offense to Brian Hoyer’s skill set. Shanahan is familiar with Hoyer, having coached him in 2014 as the offensive coordinator with the Cleveland Browns. So Hoyer already knows what to expect in a Kyle Shanahan offense.

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There’s also a new number one receiver this season in Pierre Garcon, who Kyle Shanahan’s had already worked with and Garcon had his best season in 2013 with Shanahan as his offensive coordinator with the Washington Redskins.

But Shanahan must pray that Garcon doesn’t get hurt, because there’s not a lot of depth behind him. The 49ers also signed Marquise Goodwin and Jeremy Kerley returns. But the receiver who might make a surprise impact is rookie fifth round pick Trent Taylor.

But first the 49ers must continue as a running team first. Which is why running back Carlos Hyde could have a big season. As good as the Atlanta Falcons passing game was in 2016, their rushing offense ranked fifth in the league.

So Kyle Shanahan will run the ball a lot this season to set up the pass. However, as godd an offensive mind as Shanahan is, the San Francisco 49ers will not have a top ten offense. Too many good defenses in the NFC West.

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However, the San Francisco 49ers offense will be a lot better than their 31st overall ranking of last season. I see the 49ers making a nice jump into the top 20 range on offense in 2017.

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