The 49ers let nine starting players leave this offseason. Whose departure will impact them the most?
Deebo Samuel's departure actually should help the team. Forcing him the ball in the Super Bowl and this past season made the 49ers offense worse. Redistributing his carries and targets to George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey, Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall will be a good thing.
The departures of Leonard Floyd, Maliek Collins and Javon Hargrave shouldn't hurt the 49ers too much considering none of them ever made a meaningful impact.
The losses of Aaron Banks and Jaylon Moore won't help the 49ers' offensive line, but they aren't impact players. They're solid starters at best.
Charvarius Ward's absence should hurt the defense considering he was one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL two seasons ago. But he's on the downside of his career at this point.
So is linebacker Dre Greenlaw. He used to be a great player, but his body might not be able to hold up for a full season anymore.
That's why Talanoa Hufanga's absence could hurt the 49ers the most. His replacement, Malik Mustapha, tore his ACL for the second time in Week 18 and probably will miss at least the first few games of next season.
Meanwhile, Hufanga will be two years removed from his torn ACL, which means he'll be fully healthy for the first time in a while. And he's a serious playmaker when he's healthy. And he's still just 25 years old.
This offseason, the Broncos signed Hufanga to a three-year, $39 million deal. The 49ers easily could have matched or beaten it. I have a feeling they'll wish they did.