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When Cowherd believes 49ers should consider ‘semi-rebuild’ originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Colin Cowherd believes the 49ers might consider retooling — soon.
In Friday’s edition of “The Herd,” the Fox Sports analyst explained why San Francisco should question its competitive future if the 49ers lose to the Dallas Cowboys in Sunday’s Week 8 matchup.
“If San Francisco loses this weekend, it’s time to have serious conversations about a semi-rebuild,” Cowherd said. “[George] Kittle’s old. [Christian] McCaffrey’s got a lot of wear on the tires. Kyle Juszczyk, the perennial Pro Bowler (is old). Trent Williams (is old). We know this. You know this. Windows in the NFL … windows close very quickly.”
Cowherd believes the 49ers’ window of contention is shrinking by the day … and it is hard to argue with him.
San Francisco is injured as ever, the 49ers are a concerning 3-4 and star quarterback Brock Purdy will be due for a massive contract extension in the offseason, making other elite players harder to retain or add.
But Cowherd, oddly enough, cites San Francisco’s success over the last five seasons as a key reason for the 49ers’ current struggles.
“They keep running through defensive coordinators who keep getting head coaching jobs,” Cowherd added. “So, every year, it’s a different coordinator, and every year, you got guys banged up.”
Former 49ers defensive coordinators — Houston Texans’ DeMeco Ryans and formerly New York Jets’ Robert Saleh — have found opportunities as head coaches elsewhere. And San Francisco’s consistently deep playoff runs give itself a rest disadvantage every campaign, which likely contributes to some of their injuries.
Cowherd, though, reinforced the present issue. The 49ers must win games and claw back into the NFC playoff race. If not, he is confident San Francisco should reset.
“If they lose to Dallas, Super Bowl’s done, [the] conference championship is an absolute one-percent long shot, and you have to have serious conversations about what you do with really talented guys who will help you win a lot of games,” Cowherd said. “It’s time to hit on draft picks and move off some guys.”
It doesn’t seNFL em like 49ers president of football operations John Lynch will be selling at the NFL trade deadline. He knows San Francisco isn’t close to its peak form, whether health-wise or schematically.
But Cowherd is right about one thing. Super Bowl windows close quickly, and the 49ers are no exception.