Big Sal's Off-Season Report Card: Gutekunst Gets a B+

The off season is over. Brian Gutekunst made his moves. Big Sal has grades. Free agency gets a B minus — Javan Hargrave was sharp, Benjamin St. Juste was necessary, Skymore on returns was overdue. But Sal isn't handing out gold stars for cleaning up your own mess. The Aaron Banks restructure and the Nate Hobbs disaster are on the same ledger, and you don't get credit for both sides of that equation. Extensions get an A minus. Jaden Reed locked up, Sean Clifford rewarded for improvement, Christian Watson and Tucker Kraft still coming. Trades land at C plus (Rashan Gary) and B (Zaire Franklin). And the draft — six picks, the fewest of Gutekunst's entire tenure — might be the best class he's ever run. Brandon Cise, Chris McClellan, Dennis Sutton at 120 (Sal calls it stolen), Trey Smack. The man stopped stockpiling and started building. Big picture: this team is better at linebacker, corner, defensive interior, and special teams than the one that walked off the field in Chicago down 21-3 and somehow still lost. Overall grade: B plus. Would've been an A if last year's wreckage wasn't still in the rear view.