The San Francisco 49ers may not be as desolate without the likes of retired Chris Borland, Justin Smith, Patrick Willis and Anthony Davis as originally feared.
Not if Colin Kaepernick is as good as advertised during the 2015 offseason.
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ESPN's Adam Schefter talked about the 49ers prospects for the upcoming season, lauding the talk, at least, of the improvement the quarterback has shown in his overall game since last season, as reported by SB Nation.
"They seem like he feels like he's asserted himself as a leader," Schefter said. "He's playing in a way that he didn't last year. He struggled last year, and he seemed to regress for whatever reason. During the offseason workouts -- for whatever it's worth, and it's minicamp and it's OTAs - he has looked very strong and very effective and they believe he's on track to becoming the type of player he was a couple of years ago when he looked like he was developing into one of the better young quarterbacks in the NFL.
"Last year it didn't happen. New coaching staff, new atmosphere, new environment - good for everybody to go their own separate ways, and it looks like Colin Kaepernick could wind up thriving from that. They believe he will; if he does, this team probably will be better than people are expecting right now."
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Kaepernick has worked with quarterbacks coach Dennis Gile and former NFL MVP Kurt Warner on his pocket-passing technique that has drawn nothing but rave reviews from teammates and onlookers.
Of course, Kaepernick likely will have to be better after the defections, but Schefter also found a silver lining in the recent unplanned departures.
"There is an upside to the downside," Schefter noted. The 49ers "have freed up ... $65 million (in salary cap space) over the next two years."
The 49ers have $25 million this season and $40 million next season to put more talent around what they hope is an improved Kaepernick.
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