One major, under-the-radar need 49ers must take care of this offseason
The San Francisco 49ers face a number of questions this offseason.
There's key free agents that San Francisco needs to make decisions on retaining or letting walk. The 49ers are also looking to ink a long-term deal with quarterback Brock Purdy to make him the franchise signal-caller of the future.
Meanwhile, one of San Francisco's key cogs over its success of late, wide receiver Deebo Samuel, has reportedly requested a trade.
All of those topics will take center stage during the 49ers' offseason. ESPN shared its thoughts on an under-the-radar offseason priority.
ESPN's Nick Wagoner tapped improving special teams as the 49ers' top under-the-radar offseason objective.
Improve on special teams. Under coach Kyle Shanahan, the Niners haven't cared much about the third phase, but that has come back to bite them in some big moments (see: Super Bowl LVIII) and was particularly costly during the 2024 season when they finished last in the NFL in expected points added via special teams. The 49ers fired coordinator Brian Schneider and they could take a closer inspection at kicker. – Nick Wagoner, ESPN.
Shanahan and the 49ers moving on from Brian Schneider could be an indication that the franchise is ready to take special teams more seriously.
As Wagoner noted, San Francisco's -1.3 expected points per game on special teams ranked dead last in the NFL.
The 49ers are turning to former New York Jets special teams coordinator, Brant Boyer. Boyer, 53, served as the Jets' special teams coordinator from 2016-24.
During that stint in New York, Boyer's Jets specialisits ranked tied-for-second in total touchdowns (nine), second in blocked punts (eight) and tied-for-fifth in special teams points scored (63) and opponent kickoff return average (21.8).
Prior to joining the Jets in 2016, Boyer was an assistant special teams coach for four years with the Indianapolis Colts from 2012-15.
Boyer entered the NFL in 1994 as a sixth-round pick of the Miami Dolphins. He played for 10 seasons with the Dolphins, Jaguars and Browns. In 130 games he racked up 323 tackles, 13.0 sacks and six interceptions. He interned for the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants before getting his first coaching job with the Colts.
Boyer will be tasked with reorganizing a unit that became known for failing in several key moments in the game's third phase. A blocked punt in Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings helped lead to an eventual 23-17 loss. Then, a fake punt for a first down and a big punt return played a part in the Los Angeles Rams' 27-24 Week 3 win over the 49ers.
The change in leadership feels like a sorely needed move by the franchise. San Francisco will also need to either reevaluate or monitor its field goal kicking situation very closely beginning next season.
Selected in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft, Michigan alum Jake Moody struggled mightily in 2024. Moody made just 24-of-34 field goal tries and only 10-of-20 on kicks longer than 40 yards.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Patriots' Mike Vrabel Explains What Leadership Is to Him
Patriots' Mike Vrabel Explains What Leadership Is to Him originally appeared on Athlon Sports. New England Patriots' new head coach Mike Vrabel has always been known as a leader and culture builder in the NFL. When Vrabel got his first head coaching opportunity with the Tennessee Titans, he led them to four-straight winning seasons and three playoff appearances. Advertisement Vrabel's teams have always been built on grit and toughness, just as he displayed during his 14-year NFL career. Monday morning, Vrabel met with the media and was asked about the leadership of his quarterback, Drake Maye. But his response focused more on what he believes leadership is. "I don't think it matters if you're a quarterback or an offensive lineman or a running back or a defensive back. It's about your ability to reach certain players," Vrabel said. "We don't want to have any gaps. So hopefully, you know what to do, you're prepared, you do things the right way, you're a good listener, you can adapt to what happens and adapt to the people that you're talking to, maybe based on what they need." New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel (c) works with players at rookie camp at Gillette Canha-Imagn Images Vrabel is in the midst of a rebuild in New England. The Patriots dominated the 2010s, playing in five Super Bowls and winning three. But since 2020, New England has had just one winning season. Advertisement The Patriots fired Jerod Mayo and brought in their former player Vrabel as the new head coach this season to try to bring back the grit, intensity, and discipline New England displayed during Bill Belichick's 24-year tenure. The first step for Vrabel, building leaders and relationships in his locker room. "Sometimes people need a little different encouraging and sometimes you need a little bit firmer hand and maybe a little bit more firmer stance," Vrabel said. "I think that's all important in understanding and getting to know each person before you can start to lead them." All signs from the offseason point to positivity in that department so far, as Vrabel continues to develop and grow the leadership of his young quarterback and new team. Advertisement Related: An Identity Emerges for Mike Vrabel's Patriots This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Fox Sports Taking Heat for Its Terry Bradshaw Decision
Saturday marked the final race in one of sports' most time-honored traditions: the Triple Crown of horse racing. Fans flocked to New York and tuned in on FOX to see Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty defeat Preakness winner Journalism once again to take two of the three crown jewel races. Fans enjoyed the on-track action, but they were dismayed by FOX's decision to include an analyst from a completely different sport. Advertisement Former NFL quarterback and longtime NFL on FOX analyst Terry Bradshaw handled some of the pre-race festivities, and the Hall of Famer struggled through some of the presentation. He named Saturday's race as the "137th" Belmont Stakes, when it was actually the 157th running of the race. "I appreciate someone other than NBC having coverage of a big horse race, but Fox really needs to work on production. The crowd mic is potted astronomically high, and Terry Bradshaw has no place on the broadcast," said one sports journalist on social media. "Imagine being a horse racing expert and you get your moment on TV on one of the very few days your sport gets to shine and you're ready to show your wisdom and spread love of your sport to the masses and then you're placed on equal footing to Terry Bradshaw," another person said. Advertisement The tradition of adding crossover properties to horse racing is nothing new. NBC went all-out in 2025 for the Kentucky Derby, inviting and speaking with several celebrities and names from its several networks, shows and movies on traditional television. "NBC Sports needs the entire Triple Crown. Fox Sports is bad. Terry Bradshaw bad," another horse racing fan said. FOX may not be the preferred home of horse racing for the average fan, but in order to get the full Triple Crown experience, they'll need to deal with the network for at least a few more years. FOX and the New York Racing Association have negotiated a rights deal that makes the network the exclusive home of the race and all associated events on the grounds through at least 2030. Advertisement "FOX Sports has quickly become the year-round home of the finest thoroughbred racing in the country,' said NYRA president and CEO Dave O'Rourke. After Saturday's experience, it seems that more than a few fans would beg to differ. Fox Sports Taking Heat for Its Terry Bradshaw Decision first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 8, 2025
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
College World Series bracket: Schedule, matchups for 2025 NCAA baseball championship
The biggest stage in college baseball, the one that hundreds of teams across the country begin their seasons dreaming about in the dead of winter, is finally here. With the end of the super regional round of the 2025 NCAA tournament, which wrapped up June 9 with Murray State's 5-4 win against Duke, the eight-team field for the College World Series has been set, with festivities beginning on June 13 from Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska. Advertisement Five of the eight teams remaining in the national championship hunt are national seeds, a group led by No. 3 Arkansas, which is seeking its first ever CWS title. Unlike last year, when the field was evenly split with four SEC teams and four ACC teams, seven different conferences are represented in the 2025 CWS, including Oregon State, which played as an independent program this season following the dissolution of the Pac-12. Here's a look at the College World Series bracket, including matchups, teams and the schedule: REQUIRED READING: How does CWS work? Explaining format for NCAA baseball tournament College World Series matchups The 2025 College World Series will open with four games. The winners of those games will advance to play one another while the losers will do the same, with the latter aiming to avoid elimination with a second loss. Advertisement Here's a look at those opening matchups: All times Eastern Friday, June 13 : No. 13 Coastal Carolina vs. Arizona | 2 p.m. | ESPN (ESPN+) Friday, June 13 : No. 8 Oregon State vs. Louisville | 7 p.m. | ESPN (ESPN+) Saturday, June 14: No. 15 UCLA vs. Murray State | 2 p.m. | ESPN (ESPN+) Saturday, June 14: No. 3 Arkansas vs. No. 6 LSU | 7 p.m. | ESPN (ESPN+) Watch the 2025 College World Series live with ESPN+ CWS schedule First day of CWS : Friday, June 13 CWS championship series: June 21-June 22/23 The 2025 College World Series will begin on Friday, June 13. Eight days later, on June 21, the event's championship series is set to start. It will run through June 22 or June 23, depending on whether the best-of-three series goes two or three games. College World Series bracket Click here to view the official 2025 College World Series bracket. How does the College World Series work? The College World Series is a double-elimination tournament that leads up to a best-of-three championship series between the final two teams remaining in the field. Advertisement For a deeper explanation on how the tournament works, click here. REQUIRED READING: Who's in College World Series? Updated bracket, schedule for NCAA baseball tournament Does the NCAA Baseball Tournament re-seed? The NCAA tournament, including the College World Series, does not re-seed to pair lower matchups with higher ones. That means that the two highest-seeded teams remaining in the CWS, No. 3 Arkansas and No. 6 LSU, will play each other since that was how the NCAA tournament bracket was set up, rather than having both the Razorbacks and Tigers take on the lowest-seeded teams remaining. Who is in the College World Series? No. 3 Arkansas No. 6 LSU No. 8 Oregon State No. 13 Coastal Carolina No. 15 UCLA Arizona Louisville Murray State Advertisement The biggest stories, every morning. Stay up-to-date on all the key sports developments by subscribing to USA TODAY Sports' newsletter. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College World Series bracket: 2025 CWS matchups, schedule, teams
