The 49ers just had One of the Best Offseasons in the NFL per ESPN

When the first wave of free agency ended a few months ago, most analysts thought the 49ers had one of the worst offseasons in the NFL.

That's because they lost nine starting players and signed no one to replace them. At least initially. In June, they traded for failed Eagles edge rusher Bryce Huff. They also re-hired Robert Saleh, who coached Huff during his one productive season on the Jets.

Now that the dust has settled on the offseason, analysts are warming up to the moves the 49ers have made. In fact, ESPN just gave them an a-minus for the offseason as a whole.

"After a disappointing 6-11 campaign, the 49ers opened their offseason by bringing back Robert Saleh, their defensive coordinator from 2017 to 2020," writes ESPN's Seth Walder. "Though his head coaching tenure with the Jets was shaky, his defenses ranked in the top five in expected points added per play in 2022, 2023 and the first five weeks of 2024, before he was fired. After the firing, the Jets' defense plummeted to 30th in EPA per play."

Saleh essentially was the 49ers' one major addition this offseason. They also took a flyer on Huff and added a bunch of cheap veterans and rookies. Is that enough?

Walder clearly expects Saleh to immediately turn around a defense that finished 26th in EPA per play last season. But in Saleh's first year coaching the Jets, his defense ranked dead last in EPA per play. It didn't become a dominant unit until his second season in New York. I think it's unreasonable to expect Saleh to work instant magic with a defense that could start up to five rookies. Call me crazy.

The 49ers really didn't do much this offseason, and they have more than $45 million in cap space. Meanwhile, the Rams and the Cardinals were extremely aggressive.

I'd give the 49ers offseason a C.