USA TODAY offseason power rankings foresee regression for 49ers

The 49ers will enter their 2022 preseason work with a handful of sizable question marks following a relatively slow offseason. Those question marks are enough to push them down seven spots in the USA TODAY offseason power rankings to No. 14, with the uncertainty at quarterback headlining the reason for their dip.

Stability under center is the biggest issue an NFL team can have in an offseason. While the 49ers would like to believe they have a long-term answer at quarterback in Trey Lance, his inexperience combined with the fact Jimmy Garoppolo is still on the roster is enough to incite worry about the team’s ability to repeat their deep playoff run from last season. Via USA TODAY:

Tough to downgrade a team that barely lost the NFC title game this much. But a hazy quarterback situation and lack of a first-round pick are reasons to wonder if the Niners, who haven’t reached postseason in back-to-back seasons under coach Kyle Shanahan and GM John Lynch, might regress.

The biggest issue facing the 49ers though may be on their offensive line. They lost Pro Bowl starting left guard Laken Tomlinson in free agency, and starting right guard Daniel Brunskill is back after a sub-par 2021 campaign. San Francisco is going to have to shore up that front, especially with a first-time starter under center, if they’re going to get back to the level they were at last year.

They have a handful of in-house options to compete along the interior, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them try to find a long-term starting guard via the draft as well.

Ultimately though pushing the 49ers down the power rankings until they have a more concrete idea of what they have in Lance makes a lot of sense. He could struggle in his first full season as a starter and San Francisco would suffer as a result. He might also figure it out quickly and his physical tools could make the 49ers’ offense into a juggernaut that sends them to the upper echelon of NFL teams.

Until they have an answer there though, putting them toward the middle of the league is probably the right move.