San Francisco 49ers: 5 offseason needs in 2020

The San Francisco 49ers do not have a lot of capital with which to replenish their roster this offseason, but here we look at five areas they must address.

The San Francisco 49ers’ roster will be the envy of many teams in the NFL.

San Francisco is blessed with a plethora of talent on both sides of the ball and appears well set to contend for years to come.

However, the Niners are not without their holes and have the issue of extremely limited cap space – they are set to enter 2020 with just $13.1 million under the projected cap according to Peter King – with important players such as Arik Armstead, Emmanuel Sanders, and Jimmie Ward set to become free agents.

The Niners’ first-round pick (31st overall) is their only 2020 draft selection in the opening four rounds, meaning they have a distinct lack of capital with which to address their needs.

San Francisco has plenty of time to explore ways to gain more ammunition, however, and here we look at their five most pressing offseason needs.

5. Tight End

It certainly should not be a top priority for the 49ers. George Kittle is the best tight end in football and is set for a market-setting contract extension. However, Kittle could certainly use help to relieve him of some of the burden.

Garrett Celek has retired following a series of injuries and concussions. Levine Toilolo can be brought back on a cheap contract but both he and Ross Dwelley lack the dynamism of Kittle.

It is rare to find players who can impact the game in such a wide variety of ways as Kittle does. Still, it would significantly benefit the offense if the Niners can unearth a tight end with the pass-catching and blocking ability to be able to spell him effectively.

Having a second tight end who can stay on the field as a blocker would also give Kyle Shanahan the option of utilizing more two-tight end sets. That additional flexibility would likely be valued highly by a play-caller who thrives on creating disguise and it would be no surprise to see the Niners use draft capital on a tight end.