The San Francisco 49ers are coming off an eventful few days following their 38-17 win over the Las Vegas Raiders and the trade deadline, where the team added Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Keenan Allen after trading for DeForest Buckner last week.
Now, the 49ers are set for the second half of the season with two new veterans in the fold, as they await several injury updates for this weekend’s game against the Dallas Cowboys.
San Francisco was still banged up offensively against the Raiders, playing
without Deebo Samuel and Mike Evans, but they still put up 38 points. Meanwhile, the defense continued to shine, creating five turnovers that sealed the deal for the Raiders.
Here are five observations from after the trade deadline following the Raiders win.
Trust in a young WR
We’ve heard Kyle Shanahan talk about ‘trust’ when referencing Jordan Watkins, and we really saw that come out this past weekend, as the second-year wideout had his best game with four catches for 86 yards and a touchdown.
Watkins has paced the 49ers wide receivers in snaps with Mike Evans out, leading the team in the Washington, Atlanta, and Las Vegas games. That wasn’t the case before that, though, as Watkins had been behind Brandin Cooks and Jacob Cowing in addition to San Francisco’s top receivers in the weeks prior.
But now, post trade deadline, it feels like he could be in the top group for the 49ers until Mike Evans returns, joining Keenan Allen and Deebo Samuel. With this group of receivers, Watkins and Demarcus Robinson can play the vertical role, which means they’re live for big plays every week.
We saw one of those come down last weekend with Watkins’s 37-yard touchdown grab. On the season, he’s now averaging 22.6 yards per catch. That trust is finally starting to pay off.
Unique deployment for young LB
The 49ers have made it a goal to get Jaden Dugger on the field in a variety of roles this year. Dugger played 12 defensive snaps against Las Vegas, with only three coming in the box. 5 came on the line of scrimmage, while four were in the slot.
He’s been a tackling machine, but also got a pick-six this past weekend. There were initial questions on usage for Dugger coming into the NFL as a Day 3 rookie, but he’s been a fit everywhere.
Against Atlanta, Dugger played 31 snaps, with a ton coming on the line of scrimmage. With Dre Greenlaw out against Washington, he was much more of a full-time linebacker. Back in Week 5, he played 47 defensive snaps, with 16 being in the slot or on the line.
The snap count might dwindle with Upton Stout getting fully healthy and less need in the nickel, but Dugger has been a pleasant surprise so far this year in his usage.
No rest for Buck
DeForest Buckner was welcomed to the Bay Area and instantly played the most snaps of any defensive tackle against Las Vegas. He was on the field for 34 of the 50 defensive snaps, recording two pressures while Osa Odighizuwa had three.
Buckner was one of the most-played linemen in the NFL in Indianapolis, ranking in the top five in snap count. The 49ers will look to rotate him more than Indianapolis did, but it’s clear he’s going to have a big role, and the need was only further exacerbated by Gracen Halton’s injury.
Receiver room future
The 49ers seemed pretty adamant on adding a wide receiver, and even in his current state, Keenan Allen seems to fit what the team wants with his separation and blocking skills.
But with him in the fold, the future of the 49ers wide receiver room this season got more interesting. San Francisco seems to be getting Deebo Samuel back this weekend. They also should get Mike Evans in the coming weeks, while De’Zhaun Stribling is expected back in the regular season.
Then, there’s Demarcus Robinson and the emerging Jordan Watkins alongside punt returner Jacob Cowing.
The first question comes with the starting group. When Evans, and really Stribling is back, will the 49ers rely on Allen still? And then, who is the odd man out of the group?
San Francisco will have Allen, Evans, Samuel, Stribling, Robinson, Watkins, and Cowing as their receivers then. They likely don’t dress seven guys. Cowing has not been good as a receiver, but has maintained the punt return job. Does that go elsewhere and he’s the odd man out? Or will the 49ers make a different move?
Run game success
A lot of the 49ers focus on offense has been about the passing game, with Brock Purdy enjoying a career year and Mike Evans shining in his first season in the Bay.
But the 49ers run game has sneakily been elite this year from an efficiency perspective. The 49ers are seventh in yards per game (135.3) and seventh in yards per attempt (4.6). They’re also third in EPA per rush and first in rushing success rate, so they’ve really turned things around in the run game.
San Francisco has adapted to the two-headed monster with Christian McCaffrey and Kaelon Black, whose efficiency has risen in recent weeks. The offensive line has done a good job overall, and the Niners are quite balanced offensively.
That’s a big sign for the coming weeks as the passing game still works through injuries, with the 49ers having their hardest stretch of the schedule coming up.
