49ers give Garoppolo the green light to seek trade

The LA Rams have lost the last six regular season games against the San Francisco 49ers and their feisty quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. While the Rams broke the streak in the NFC Championship Game, the fact is that the Rams had designed a defense that was ideally suited for Garoppolo to exploit.

And he did. Six times.

The Rams had invested in stopping the big play and in getting pressure on the quarterback. That defensive plan works on most of the teams that the LA Rams have faced. But when it came to the 49ers’ offense, Garoppolo specialized in throwing passes over the middle of the field.

Right where the Rams’ defense was its weakest.

But not only did the Niners pass to the middle of the defense, but they loved to run at the middle of the Rams’ defense as well. If the Rams tried to defend the run with an inside linebacker, the 49ers would attack the middle with an aerial assault. If the Rams tried to defend the pass with an additional defensive back, the 49ers would attack the middle of the defense with a ground assault.

This year, that weakness over the middle appears to be a strength. Not only have the LA Rams signed veteran inside linebacker Bobby Wagner, but the team welcomes back Ernest Jones, a young linebacker selected in the 2021 NFL Draft specifically to his resemblance to the playing style of Bobby Wagner. Nobody should plan to succeed this year by attacking the middle of the Rams’ defense. But that may not be a concern for Jimmy Garoppolo any longer:

49ers officially have given Jimmy Garoppolo’s agents Don Yee and Carter Chow permission to seek a trade, sources said. Garoppolo has been cleared to start practicing, per team source; 49ers still are expected to exercise caution with him this summer.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 20, 2022

With Garoppolo medically cleared to start practicing, interested teams should begin the process of inquiring and negotiating to acquire him. Many teams originally thought to be in the market for a new quarterback have since filled that need. But there are still some teams who may be interested in acquiring Garoppolo.

While trading away Garoppolo won’t hurt the Niners on paper, it remains to be seen how effectively newly installed quarterback Trey Lance can run that offense. It’s also a question mark over which team if any, will try to acquire Garoppolo.

This is a story worth monitoring. Stay Tuned.

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