The Rams Can Help Close Kyle Shanahan’s Window

Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan were hired as head coaches in the same year for the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers, respectively. McVay boasts a Super Bowl win while Shanahan has finished on the cusp twice.

Shanahan is not running out of time with the 49ers. He’d be one of the most sought after candidates on the open market if he separated from the team. However, the sand is dwindling for this version of the 49ers.

Thursday night’s game between these two teams is not a must-win for either NFC West foe. Shanahan must win over the next four months or his window in San Francisco could be shut so tight it may not be worth trying to re-open.

The 49ers’ offense is Shanahan’s hallmark. Year 10 brings a quarterback that is still young surrounded by a lot of pieces that no longer are. Trent Williams is soon to be 38—around the same age as Matthew Stafford at a much more physically demanding position. Kyle Juszczyk is 35. Mike Evans is 33. George Kittle is 32 and is coming off another serious injury. Christian McCaffrey is 30 but is much older in running back years. Ricky Pearsall has been swallowed whole by the injury bug.

The problem isn’t so much that the 49ers are old—that isn’t necessarily true. They are simply old in all the wrong places.

San Francisco has tried to turnover its defense and raise the next generation of stars. It simply hasn’t worked. I wrote last season that the 49ers’ draft class was off to a poor start to their careers. That is still true after the calendar has turned. Mykel Williams will start the season on the PUP list and miss at least the first four games. There is talk about San Francisco’s best rookie piece from a year ago, Alfred Collins, no longer being a scheme fit for Raheem Morris’ defense.

Brock Purdy helped a roster littered with talent reach new heights. He brought more to the table than Jimmy Garoppolo ever did.

But now that the 49ers are paying Purdy top dollar, can he elevate a middling roster to competitive in the same way he made a great roster even more formidable?

Purdy may never be a superstar quarterback. We know a sizeable portion of his production should be credited to Shanahan. There are serious questions about the signal caller’s game. Can he find a deep ball and reduce turnovers under pressure?

The state of the 49ers feels very fragile. Shanahan has years left on his contract and teams would probably trade at least a first round pick in order to bring him on board.

But his runway in San Francisco seems to be coming to an end, barring a surprise turnaround. If the Rams take care of business on Thursday night, they can keep Shanahan and the 49ers on their downward trajectory.