Even before Joe Staley retired after 13 seasons with the 49ers, San Francisco lost two other key members this offseason from their Super Bowl run.
The 49ers traded team MVP DeForest Buckner to the Indianapolis Colts and lost veteran receiver Emmanuel Sanders to the New Orleans Saints in free agency. Both players were just as important for the NFC champions off the field as they were on it.
Richard Sherman knows what it's like to see his team lose key members, and how the locker room must evolve.
"It just leaves room for a next-man-up mentality as far as leadership," Sherman said Wednesday on KNBR's "Murph & Mac" show.