The performance profile over those four fundamental metrics was so putrid that Lynch not-so-subtly shared the team’s plans to overhaul much of the roster at last month’s NFL Scouting Combine.
“We need to get younger,” Lynch said. “Our [2024 draft class] was a great move towards that. We’ll have four picks in the top 100 [in 2025]. … We’re excited about adding more youth to a great core of players that we already have.”
Toss the age impetus out for a second, since pursuing youth is a ubiquitous NFL goal. Let’s analyze Lynch’s words from a merit-based lens: There was no way the 49ers could, in good faith, look at the horrific performance splits above and conclude that keeping the entire band together would be a fruitful strategy moving forward.
Clearly, on-field shortcomings sparked much of the recent exodus, particularly among the defensive line. Last week, the team released veterans Javon Hargrave, Maliek Collins, and Leonard Floyd, all of whom had been acquired as veterans to help the team’s mad dash to cram in another Super Bowl run. Though this trio saw pass-rushing success, all three graded poorly against the run in 2024, comprising a key part of that 29th-ranked run defense.
The 49ers considered this significant structural damage that they needed to fix. Construction is as a good metaphor for the team’s offseason process.
Lynch and Shanahan built a beautiful mansion over the years. They boasted what was arguably the NFL’s best roster in 2022, 2023, and possibly even entering 2024. But the foundation of that house, even though it still features several striking fixtures, has been eroding beneath the surface. The NFL cycle, which inflicts wear and tear on everyone, has not spared the 49ers.
The time to renovate has come.