As is the case with most NFL teams, the San Francisco 49ers needed a lot of things to break their way in order to go from four straight years as a bottom-10 team in the league to representing the NFC in the Super Bowl in 2019.
The front office, led by general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan, had to make shrewd decisions in free agency, along with continuing to build up the core group of players that was already in place when they arrived, such as defensive lineman DeForest Buckner and safeties Jimmie Ward and Jaquiski Tartt.