San Francisco 49ers could have historically bad passing game

The San Francisco 49ers could have a historically bad passing game in 2016 under Chip Kelly, if their roster stays as it is..

In 2015, the San Francisco 49ers ranked 29th in the NFL in passing yards per game. They were tied for 29th with 16 passing touchdowns on the year, and were third worst in the NFL with just 154 first downs via the pass.

The bad news?

Things didn’t get any better this offseason.

The Niners, at least on paper, have one of the worst assortments of receivers and tight ends I have seen, and they have a head coach in Chip Kelly who isn’t coming off of the most successful first stint as an NFL head coach, implementing his fast-paced style against NFL defenses that seemed to figure it out pretty quickly.

The two-QB race between Blaine Gabbert and Colin Kaepernick is as ugly as any in the NFL right now, especially after Kaepernick tried to talk his way out of town this Spring. With those two battling it out for the starting job, it gets even more hairy when you look at the 49ers’ group of wide receivers, which is headlined by Torrey Smith.

Smith is the team’s leading returning receiver after Anquan Boldin wasn’t retained and signed in Detroit. Smith’s line of 33 catches for 663 yards and four touchdowns last year isn’t bad considering the passing game’s overall success last season, especially at 20 yards a catch. That being said, it was the worst season statistically of Smith’s career, and he dropped 16 passes in his final 103 targets according to Pro Football Focus.

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The 49ers could have something in Vance McDonald, who caught 30 passes with three touchdowns last year. Outside of Smith and McDonald, the 49ers’ next best targets in the passing game include Quinton Patton, Bruce Ellington, Garrett Celek, rookie Aaron Burbridge, and prospect Eric Rogers.

It’s all adding up to something that could wind up being the worst passing game in the NFL, but perhaps a historically bad one. Torrey Smith is known for being a good complimentary receiver, not necessarily a top flight number one. None of the other guys in the Niners’ passing game are really proven.

It’s going to be interesting to develop as the offseason moves along, and we get to see these guys on the field in the preseason.

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