Will the 49ers Have a Top 5 Offense in the NFL Next Season?

Technically, the 49ers had the fourth-best offense in the NFL last season in terms of yards gained.

When you think back on last season, you probably don't remember the 49ers offense being particularly dominant, and that's because it wasn't. It struggled particularly in the red zone and ranked just 13th out of 32 teams in points scored. Not bad, but not great.

Of course, the 49ers were missing lots of key players on offense. Christian McCaffrey missed 13 games. Brandon Aiyuk missed 10. Trent Williams missed seven. Ricky Pearsall missed six. Even Brock Purdy missed two. And yet, the 49ers still gained more yards than every team except the Ravens, the Lions and the Buccaneers. Impressive.

So what should we expect from the 49ers offense this year? Will it rank in the top 5 in points scored as well as yards gained? Or will it fall off?

The starting lineup seems mostly set. The 49ers could draft a starting left guard in a couple weeks and maybe a starting offensive tackle as well if they think Trent Williams might decide to retire unexpectedly. Otherwise, we know who will be in the huddle.

If McCaffrey is healthy, the 49ers should score lots of points considering he has scored 31 touchdowns in 31 regular season games with the 49ers. But if he gets banged up and misses lots of time like he did last year, the 49ers offense probably will struggle in the red zone once again.

So much depends on McCaffrey.