The San Francisco 49ers looked like a force to be reckoned with in November, December and most of January, as they ended the regular season with a 10-game winning streak and advanced to the NFC Championship game with relative ease.
Unfortunately, they ran into trouble there, as quarterback Brock Purdy tore the UCL in his throwing elbow early in that contest and backup Josh Johnson suffered a concussion shortly afterward.
Therefore, it was no surprise that the 49ers got blown out by the Philadelphia Eagles.
Once San Francisco sorts out its QB situation, it will once again have one of the best and most talented rosters in the league, and that includes special teams.
On Saturday, they reached terms on a contract extension with one key special teamer, long-snapper Taybor Pepper.
49ers signed long snapper Taybor Pepper to a three-year contract extension that included $1.5 million guaranteed at signing.
Pepper produced this video to mark the occasion: pic.twitter.com/2SJTFXbceJ
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 26, 2023
Pepper will be entering his fourth season with the 49ers this fall, and he has been a nice success story, as he went undrafted in 2016 after four seasons of college ball at Michigan State University.
He was part of a special teams unit that was lackluster in 2021 but showed improvement as the 2022 season wore on.
49ers rank #18 in special teams EPA, but look at their splits…
Weeks 1-5: #25
Weeks 6-now: #10Seems that coordinator Brian Schneider is doing an objectively good job. He inherited a special teams unit that wasn’t good last year and it’s improving throughout this season
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) December 2, 2022
The Niners are rock-solid at just about every position other than quarterback, where they have some real questions.
Purdy was set to undergo surgery on his injured elbow in late February, but it was pushed back to early March due to inflammation, and many expect him to be ready for at least Week 1 of next season.
That could open up an opportunity for Trey Lance, the original starter under center when the 2022 campaign began, to regain the QB1 spot.
NEXT:
The Brock Purdy Story Has Another Unique Twist