The offseason is upon us, and naturally that brings the proverbial “way-too-early” NFL power rankings. ESPN decided to kick things off by ranking teams and then including a reason for optimism. The 49ers were ranked No. 23, the first sign the World Wide Leader would be conservative about the team ... for the time being.
Reason for optimism: A healthy Jimmy Garoppolo. The Niners entered 2018 with a lot of buzz about a quick turnaround from the 6-10 record they posted in 2017, but most of that optimism vanished when Garoppolo tore an ACL in Week 3.