On the eve of what is most likely the 49ers’ biggest regular-season game in franchise history, we go to the mailbag for the final time before the playoffs begin ...
Cornerback Jason Verrett and wide receivers Trent Taylor and Jalen Hurd are eligible right now. I have not seen any indications the receivers are an option due to the severity of their injuries. I have not seen Hurd in recent weeks, as he rehabs from a back injury that sidelined him for his entire rookie season. After recently bringing Kentavius Street off injured reserve, the 49ers can make that decision on one more player.
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The 49ers opted recently to re-sign Dontae Johnson over Verrett, who continues to work out at the team facility. The 49ers do not need another cornerback, so there is no opening for Verrett to be activated.
Linebacker Kwon Alexander would be eligible to play in the playoffs. (More on him in the next question.)
Defensive tackle D.J. Jones went on injured reserve on Dec. 14. Players on IR must miss eight weeks, so he is not eligible to return even if the 49ers reach the Super Bowl on Feb. 2.
The Houston Texans received a present on Christmas Eve when J.J. Watt returned to practice from a torn pectoral that he sustained four days prior to Kwon Alexander’s injury. It’s usually a three- to four-month recovery from surgery to repair a torn pectoral, but Watt and Alexander are getting close after just two months.
Alexander is first eligible to play in the wild-card round. I’ve heard from 49ers sources that they do not believe that playing next week or the week after are realistic possibilities. The 49ers would almost certainly have to advance to the NFC Championship game in order for Alexander to have a chance.
That’s why the 49ers are being low key about the possibility of Alexander’s return. Obviously, there is no guarantee the team will advance that far, so they consider that possibility a distant concern.
I am unable to definitively answer that question. Nobody can. He will be ready when his hamstring allows. But the thought within the organization has been that he will be ready when the playoffs open. (I'm doubting that, though, because I have not even seen him on the field for any rehab work.)
If the 49ers beat the Seahawks on Sunday night, those odds look a lot better that he could play in the 49ers' first playoff game.
The 49ers would like to re-sign Arik Armstead, but at what cost?
The franchise tag for a defensive end is expected to be nearly $18 million. The 49ers’ top priorities for lucrative contract extensions have always been DeForest Buckner and George Kittle. They remain the team’s top priorities to keep around for the long-term.
Looking at the veteran contracts, it does not seem realistic the 49ers will keep around Marquise Goodwin and Jerick McKinnon and their scheduled combined 2020 pay of more than $10 million.
I’m not sure how this plays out with Armstead, but it will definitely take both sides bending a little (or a lot) in order to make this union continue for at least another season.
Solomon Thomas is a sometimes starter. But regardless of whether he is out there for the first snap of the game, as Sheldon Day was last week, he is an important rotational player.
The 49ers have three front-line defensive linemen with Armstead, Buckner and Nick Bosa.
Thomas is expected to do a good job when he’s in the game. But as the No. 3 overall pick in 2017 draft, he should be capable of doing more than just not being a glaring weakness. The 49ers have hopes he can make more of an impact in Week 17 and into the playoffs.
Just like with Thomas, the 49ers need all of their backup D-linemen to step up and be solid players. Their depth is being tested.
The 49ers must get great play from Armstead, Buckner and Bosa. And they must get acceptable contributions from everyone else, including Thomas, Day and Kentavius Street.
Ford is not ready to return to action, yet. And Jullian Taylor is out for the season with a torn ACL.
The 49ers signed defensive lineman Anthony Zettel and promoted Kevin Givens from the practice squad this week to take roster spots that opened when the club waived Jeremiah Valoaga and placed Taylor on IR.
I do not believe the 49ers are looking to bench Ahkello Witherspoon at the first sign of difficulty on Sunday.
Witherspoon had a rough day against the Los Angeles Rams last Saturday, but defensive coordinator Robert Saleh put some of the blame on his own shoulders for placing Witherspoon in some difficult situations to cover across the field with no underneath help.
“We’ve got full confidence in Ahkello,” Saleh said. “I know he’s not happy with the way he played, I know we’re not overly excited about it.
“There’s some things that he can clean up and he knows he can clean up. I’ve got faith that he’s going to come out and play a really good game.”
It depends on how the draft falls, but going after a wide receiver is certainly a realistic and reasonable option for the 49ers with the first-round draft pick. Remember, the 49ers currently do not have a pick on the second day of the draft, so they could also opt to trade back and collect more selections.
A lot of what the 49ers plan to do in the offseason will be shaped by how they think Hurd and Trent Taylor can hold up physically. If both of those players were healthy, the offense would look completely different right now.
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Taylor is the best on the team at running “choice routes,” which is Kyle Shanahan’s favorite way to beat man coverage. It requires the basketball player in his receivers to run at a defender and, in essence, perform the football equivalent of a crossover. It’s the route that George Kittle ran on the pivotal fourth-down play against New Orleans.
Taylor would have more receptions than anyone on the team if he had been healthy. Hurd would be getting a lot of action, especially when the 49ers go no-huddle because of the dilemma the defense faces with how to match the 49ers’ personnel. Hurd can line up anywhere in the formation.
Free-agent receivers are expensive, so the ability to draft and develop players at that position has been the route the 49ers have taken. And, yes, they certainly could go there again.
Dante Pettis will not be released in the offseason if that’s what you’re asking. But he will have to earn his spot on next year's regular-season roster.
Pettis is an elite route-runner. He could be the best on the team at running choice routes. That is specifically why Shanahan targeted him in the second round of the 2018 draft.
But Pettis has to show a lot more commitment in the offseason. He needs to get stronger to be able to stay healthy and be more willing to run those in-breaking routes into the teeth of the defense.
So, the answer is, Pettis will decide for himself whether he is on the 49ers’ 2020 regular-season roster.
The Seahawks’ offensive line is bad.
The Seahawks’ defensive line is not much better.
Those are the areas the 49ers must exploit on Sunday night. The 49ers’ pass rush has to get after Russell Wilson and throw him off his game. If the 49ers’ pass rush forces Wilson to get the ball out quickly, that plays into the team’s hands. Where Wilson is dangerous is when he has time – or creates time – to throw the ball down the field.
[RELATED: Collinsworth believes 49ers must step up vs. Seahawks]
On the other side, Seattle does not have much of a pass rush. They will try to create some pressures, but that should enable Jimmy Garoppolo to make some big plays, too.
Offensive tackles Joe Staley and Mike McGlinchey are playing much better than Nov. 11, when they both returned to action and were rusty. Jadeveon Clowney had the game of his life and wrecked that game. The 49ers are in a position to better handle him on Sunday.