Brock Purdy

The Athletic’s Matt Barrows believes the 49ers offense could be more pass heavy in 2024.

Barrows pointed to the team’s investment at wideout — including a potential long-term deal with Brandon Aiyuk — and the drafting of Ricky Pearsall in the 2024 NFL Draft as reasons why the traditionally run-first Kyle Shanahan might lean more toward the pass this season. The team’s postseason run-pass splits, Barrows said, could be instructive for how the Brock Purdy-run offense might operate in 2024. The 49ers “called 109 pass plays and only 77 run plays (non-designed Purdy scrambles are counted as called pass plays) over those three games, a drastic departure from their run-forward ratio of the past,” Barrows said. “Given coach Kyle Shanahan’s trust in Purdy, the investment in the receiving room makes a lot of sense.” In 2023, the Niners had a 56 percent neutral pass rate, the 11th lowest in the NFL. They passed on 60 percent of their plays while trailing last season. An increase in Purdy drop backs would change the prospects for every San Francisco pass catcher in 2024.