The San Francisco 49ers' offseason has been defined by departures.
2015 49ers NFL depth chart: San Francisco has major questions after tumultuous offseason
Major losses at running back, inside linebacker and offensive guard need to be addressed if the Niners hope to reintroduce themselves to the postseason.
It started when head coach Jim Harbaugh -- he of three consecutive conference championship game appearances -- hopped on a plane to Ann Arbor to fulfill his destiny as the lead Michigan Man.
Next was the surprise retirement of potential Hall of Fame linebacker Patrick Willis and the even more surprising retirement of second-year standout linebacker Chris Borland.
Then came free agency. Bulldozing Pro Bowl left guard Mike Iupati was lured away by a $40 million contract in Arizona. Face-of-the-franchise Frank Gore followed Iupati's lead -- as he did so many times while piling up the team's career rushing record -- leaving town for a three-year deal in Indianapolis.
With all of those notable exits, some key additions have flown under the radar. The Niners signed former Ravens wideout Torrey Smith to a hefty deal, hoping to bring a vertical spark to their passing attack. Reggie Bush arrived to help ease the loss of Gore, while longtime Cardinal Darnell Dockett should add potency to the D-line.
All of that roster turnover makes for some very interesting questions for the 2015 depth chart. Here are three of the biggest.
What will the running back rotation look like?
Bush is by no means a replacement for Gore -- the former's shifty style (which is on the decline at the age of 30) is the polar opposite of the latter's bruising, downhill approach. Instead, the top spot will be filled by Carlos Hyde, who was picked in the second round of the 2014 draft with the idea that he'd eventually step in for Gore.
The timeshare behind Hyde isn’t as clear. Bush will be expected to be a change-of-pace back and a receiving threat out of the backfield, but that’s also a role that can be filled by Kendall Hunter. Injuries have kept Hunter from making a major impact since his fourth-round selection in 2011, but if healthy, he could push Bush for touches.
There’s also the intriguing prospect of rookie Mike Davis. Nagging injuries led to a disappointing 2014 at South Carolina and dropped him to the fourth round, but let’s not forget that it was just two years ago that he was considered one of the SEC’s elite backs.
Who fills in at inside linebacker?
The retirements of Willis and Borland are partially offset by the return of Pro Bowler NaVorro Bowman, but by the time Week 1 rolls around, it will have been roughly 21 months since Bowman last saw game action. There's no guarantee that he will return to the form he showed before that catastrophic knee injury in the 2014 NFC Championship.
Michael Wilhoite did a respectable job filling in for Bowman last season and will enter camp as the favorite to start alongside him, but he'll get competition from Nick Moody, Desmond Bishop and Shayne Skov. His main competition, however, could come from veteran Philip Wheeler, who recently signed a one-year deal with the team.
The Niners did spend a third-round pick on Virginia linebacker Eli Harold, but as a converted defensive end, he'll stick to the outside backer rotation.
Is Brandon Thomas the answer at left guard?
San Francisco waited until the sixth round to draft an offensive lineman, a sign that they think Iupati’s replacement is already on the roster. The team’s GM has said that Thomas was taken in the third round of the 2014 draft as a precaution against Iupati’s departure and is the expected starter for 2015.
Thomas was once considered a first- or second-round talent, but a freak knee injury during a pre-draft workout sunk his stock and knocked him out for the majority of the 2014 season. Though he's not the road-grader that Iupati is, Thomas is a skilled run-blocker who has had a year in the pros to watch and learn. But if he falters in camp, veteran Joe Looney will be waiting in the wings.
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