The San Francisco 49ers are in need of a bounce back year. While an 8-8 season would be considered a success for some teams, the 49ers were looking to be back in the championship game and headed to the Super Bowl. Now they have a new coaching staff and added pressure to improve. One player expected to be critical to the effort is second-year running back Carlos Hyde who is looking to take over for Frank Gore.
With the departure of Gore to the Indianapolis Colts, the running back job is Hyde's for the taking. The second-year rusher is ready to emerge as the starting back, but there will be competition for the spot. Reggie Bush was added in free agency while Kendall Hunter returns healthy. According to CSN Bay Area, Hyde is expected to be the starter, but head coach Jim Tomsula is encouraging a battle for the job as he praises the rehab progress of Hunter.
"He's coming along great," Tomsula said, CSNBayArea.com. "I think we all have strong feelings for Kendall. You see him out there moving. He's moving around great. But we definitely have a rep count on him. ... You've got to keep him corralled. But he's moving around really quick. I'm not talking depth charts or anything right now, but they're all getting after it."
Hyde will be critical to the offense this year and the improvement of Colin Kaepernick. The quarterback has faced some trade rumors around his name as several sources believe this is a make-or-break year for Kaepernick. While his numbers might not have reflected it, Kaepernick's 2014 season was a bit of a disappointment and the 49ers need improvement. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the 49ers liked what they saw from Kaepernick during team workouts, but that was without any real pass rushing from other players. If Kaepernick cannot make the jump in the upcoming season, there is speculation that he could be traded in the near future. Teams like the New York Jets, Chicago Bears, Houston Texans and Arizona Cardinals could all be looking for quarterback upgrades in the coming year.
The 49ers added some fire power on their offense to try and help the quarterback improve. Torrey Smith and Kaepernick demonstrated strong chemistry during workouts while Anquan Bolden, Bruce Ellington and Quinton Patton work in the rotation. Tomsula told the media that he has been very impressed with the improvement of Kaepernick and the development of the wide receiver group, giving hope to the fan base.
