Why Whitner says 49ers roster needs ‘overhaul’ in 2025 originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Could the 49ers undergo major changes after the 2024 NFL season?
Following San Francisco’s 35-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills on “Sunday Night Football,” NBC Sports Bay Area’s Donte Whitner explained on the latest episode of “Hitner’s Hot Take” what the 49ers should consider heading into their next campaign.
“There’s no guarantee next season that this 49ers team will just get back to their championship aspirations and winning ways,” Whitner said. “This roster will need retooling with a focus on top talent on that defensive line and quality depth at all positions.”
It’s hard to rate the 49ers given how unfortunately their season ended. San Francisco, literally, was beset by problems that man could not imagine or foresee.
The 49ers have been hurt like no other team in the NFL and the latest injury report reflects that. San Francisco also dealt with an unimaginable tragedy dating back to before the start of the regular season, when first-round draft pick and rookie Ricky Pearsall was shot in the chest during an attempted armed robbery.
With all that said, San Francisco just hasn’t produced at the caliber expected of it. So Whitner cited previous 49ers teams that the current one should try and emulate.
“Think about how those 49ers teams were run; it was all defense,” recalled Whitner, a former 49ers safety. “It came down to the quarterback with a four-man rush, but they had elite defensive tools in Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner. They had guys like Dee Ford who could win one-on-one matchups. They had a young, up-and-coming Fred Warner. You had Richard Sherman in second place.
“When you look at the 49ers roster right now, they’ve got Nick Bosa, you’ve got Fred Warner and you’ve got some rookies in the secondary that are starting to make a name for themselves.”
Whitner believes San Francisco needs to take a page from its old playbook and rebuild a strong defensive line, and for that matter, a strong defense. The 49ers are currently allowing the sixth-most points per game at 24.6, a season shy of allowing the third-best 17.5.
The 49ers season is probably “over”. But San Francisco can get a head start on the next one by figuring out who should stay and who should go, as well as what the team’s future identity should be.
“I can finally say it. The 49ers’ season is over,” Whitner said. “And the Super Bowl hangover is real.” Although the 49ers and [coach Kyle Shanahan] they’ve had tough seasons in the past, most recently in 2020 [6-10]the difference between 2020 and now is: in 2020, they were just injured — they had top talent at key positions. This 49ers roster lacks depth and especially on the defensive side of the ball.”
Whitner believes San Francisco doesn’t have what it takes to be great this year. All the 49ers alum can do is hope the team rebuilds and regroups in pursuit of a sixth Vince Lombardi Trophy during the 2025 season.
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