SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

OFF SEASON CHANGES

The big story throughout the off-season for the Niners has been their injuries. Wide Receiver Ricky Pearsall will miss the entire season after having surgery on a PCL injury that he sustained last year. It’s crazy to me that they didn’t operate on it earlier and when he arrived at training camp he was not healthy. The Niners signed future hall of famer Mike Evans but he has also been dealing with a quad strain and sat out parts of training camp. They brought back Deebo Samuel after he had a year in Washington and he’s now essential depth. WR Brandon Aiyuk is technically still with the Niners but he won’t play with them again.

QUATERBACKS

Brock Purdy ranks second in the NFL in passer rating among quarterbacks with 1,000-plus attempts since 2022 and when healthy in 2025 he completed 70.6% of his passes for a 7.6% touchdown rate, both elite marks even in a season limited to nine total games. He has his doubters but is definitely one of the more reliable quarterbacks in the league when healthy. Mike Evans is going to give him a really nice end zone option to complement Christian McCaffrey on the ground. Purdy’s passing touchdowns line is set for 27.5 this season which I think looks a little high. Yes, he has Evans and Deebo Samuel back, but he’s only gone above that number once in his four NFL seasons.

RUNNING BACKS

Christian McCaffrey returns for his 11th NFL season and looks as fit as ever. He did have some regression last season in terms of yards per carry, averaging just 3.9 YPC, his lowest mark since his first NFL season. A lot of that came down to some offensive line troubles and other health issues. I actually think despite his age he can improve that efficiency this season. His pass catching numbers are unbelievable, recording 102 receptions as a running back last year. He can do it all and I expect another productive season for him if he remains healthy.

RECEIVERS

If healthy, this wide receiving corps would be one of the best in the league. Unfortunately that’s not the case. Ricky Pearsall will miss the entire season through injury and new signing Mike Evans is also dealing with a quad strain. The Niners hope he’ll be ready for Week 1 though. Jauan Jennings was a sizeable loss but they replaced him with Deebo Samuel who returns for a second stint in San Francisco. The big one that the Niners are most excited about, and reliant on, is rookie WR De’Zhaun Stribling. He was taken with pick 33 and Niners beat reporters say he looks really good in camp. George Kittle remains an elite tight end but is coming off a torn achilles and he isn’t getting any younger. He should be ready to go Week 1 but whether he can get back to his best remains to be seen. San Francisco's offense ranked third in success rate and sixth in points per drive last season even without player health, so there’s definitely upside with Purdy under center.

DEFENCE

Nick Bosa remains one of the NFL's premier edge defenders, and the front office added interior disruptor Osa Odighizuwa via trade to take pressure off him, while Fred Warner continues to anchor one of the league's smartest linebacker units. San Francisco was 28th in defensive player health last season, with Bosa suffering a season-ending injury in Week 3 and Warner playing just six games — better health alone could be a massive defensive upgrade.