The 49ers hope better health and aging stars can get them into contention in tough NFC West

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (13-6)

Expectations

The 49ers won 12 games in the 2025 regular season and beat Philadelphia in the wild-card round despite a string of injuries that sidelined stars such as Fred Warner, Nick Bosa and George Kittle for significant portions of the season. Warner is back healthy and the team is expecting both Bosa and Kittle back early in the season, if not for the opener, giving San Francisco high hopes for 2026. Despite the strong record, there was a gap between the Niners and the top two teams in the NFC West with San Francisco getting outscored by 61 points in their final three games against Seattle and the Los Angeles Rams, including a 41-6 loss to the Seahawks in the playoffs. The team is hoping better health can help close that divide but there have been several injuries in training camp already, including a season-ending knee injury for receiver Ricky Pearsall. The team still features one of the best play-calling head coaches in Kyle Shanahan and a star-studded roster featuring running back Christian McCaffrey, left tackle Trent Williams, quarterback Brock Purdy, Warner, Bosa and Kittle. That core could be enough to get back to the playoffs but the Niners likely will need some young stars to emerge if they want to make a Super Bowl run.

New faces

WR Mike Evans, DT Osa Odighizuwa, WR Deebo Samuel, WR De'Zhaun Stribling, LB Dre Greenlaw, OL Carver Willis, RB Kaelon Black, LB Jaden Dugger, CB Jack Jones, DT Gracen Halton, DE Romello Height, CB Nate Hobbs, OL Vederian Lowe, WR Christian Kirk, DC Raheem Morris.

Key losses

WR Jauan Jennings, WR Skyy Moore, LB Dee Winters, WR Kendrick Bourne, DE Bryce Huff, DB Jason Pinnock, RB Brian Robinson, OL Spencer Burford, P Thomas Morstead, DC Robert Saleh.

Strengths

San Francisco had one of the most efficient passing games in the NFL last season with Purdy at quarterback. He might have better options this season thanks to the free agent signing of Mike Evans in March and second-round pick De'Zhaun Stribling, who had a strong preseason. McCaffrey remains one of the best receiving threats out of the backfield and Kittle has consistently been one of the top tight ends. The strength of the defense is at linebacker where Warner has been the best in the game when healthy the past five years with four All-Pro honors. He gets his longtime running mate back with Greenlaw returning after spending an injury-filled 2025 in Denver. If he can be healthy for the first time since 2023, that might be the best linebacker duo in the league and will be the engine of the defense.

Weaknesses

The 49ers finished with a league-low 20 sacks last season as they struggled to generate any consistent pressure after Bosa went down with a knee injury in Week 3. He has been slowed in camp coming back from his second major reconstructive surgery on his right knee and there are questions if he can get back to the form he had when he won Defensive Player of the Year in 2022. While the Niners should get more interior pass rush from Odighizuwa, there's little proven help on the outside which could be a concern. The other potential problem spots are at left guard where no one has seized the starting job in camp and safety where incumbents Ji'Ayir Brown, Malik Mustapha and Marques Sigle struggled to make big plays last season.

Camp development

The 49ers had some off-field drama this summer starting when Shanahan got into a bad car crash just before the start of camp that left him with a concussion. He was limited at the start of camp but has mostly recovered and should be ready to handle the job when the season starts. Owner Jed York got arrested late in training camp after being caught in a prostitution sting in Ohio. He pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors and could be facing punishment from the NFL.

Fantasy player to watch

McCaffrey came back from an injury-filled 2024 season and flirted with becoming the first player ever with two seasons with at least 1,000 yards rushing and receiving. He finished 76 short on the receiving end but still had 2,126 yards and 17 TDs from scrimmage as he was one of the most consistent performers in fantasy. But his league-high 413 touches from scrimmage in the regular season were the most by any player in 11 years and the second-most ever by a player age 29 or older. He was hampered by injuries in 2020 and '24 after leading the league in touches the previous season, raising questions about how high he should be picked this year at age 30. The Niners have said they want to lighten his load this season and both Black and Jordan James showed flashes in the preseason as possible options.