The 49ers are 4-0, and a big reason why is that a handful of unexpected names have changed the look of the team in a hurry. Some of those surprises are on the stat sheet, some are in the trenches, and one isn’t a player at all.
Start with Brock Purdy, who has gone from “could be good” to flat-out carrying the conversation. Nobody should have been stunned if he played well this year, but the jump he’s made has still been striking.
He’s thrown 11 touchdowns against just one interception and is turning in some of the best football of his career. At this point, it would be tough to put anyone else ahead of him in the MVP race.
That’s a pretty major surprise.
Up front, Dominick Puni has quietly become one of the more encouraging developments on the roster. In the weeks before the season, San Francisco wasn’t even lining him up at left guard.
The team had him working at right guard so it could take a look at Carver Willis and Robert Jones. Jones was eventually cut, and Willis is still a backup.
Puni still has room to clean things up, but he’s taken a real step forward from his rookie year and has a firmer grip on the job in 2026 than he did in 2025.
Then there’s defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. He isn’t a player, but he belongs on the list because the defense could have looked very different after his arrival.
Saleh came in after Robert Saleh had done enough to land a new head coaching job, and there was real uncertainty about how the unit would respond to the change. Instead, the defense has kept its edge while operating with a different style and different personnel.
The results have been strong enough that the group looks as good, if not better, than it did a year ago - and that’s without Nick Bosa. If he comes back, this could become a truly feared defense.
Osa Odighizuwa has also given the 49ers exactly what they needed in a room that has been thinned out by injuries. He has played 201 snaps, while Gracen Halton is next on the list at 118 and Sebastian Valdez is third at 56.
The depth chart behind him is thin, but the overall group has still improved from last season. Odighizuwa is a major reason why.
And then there’s Marques Sigle, who may be the biggest surprise of the bunch. Around this time last year, the 49ers were getting ready to bench the rookie after the Los Angeles Rams exposed him early in the season.
This year, he opened by playing well against those same Rams in Week 1 and has since become San Francisco’s best safety. With both starters from last year back on the roster, Sigle entered the season expected to be depth.
Instead, he’s been one of the team’s best surprises.
In Other News...
49ers Got The Kyle Juszczyk Injury News They Desperately Needed
Kyle Juszczyks knee injury looked far worse in the moment, but the 49ers avoided the kind of outcome that can reshape a season. The Pro Bowl fullback was hurt against the Broncos and later learned the MRI showed no ligament damage, easing fears around a play that had plenty of people bracing for a longer absence.
Juszczyk is still expected to miss two to three weeks after suffering a hyperextended knee, capsule sprain and minor bone bruise, which likely rules him out for the Seahawks game. Even so, the door is open for a return before the end of October, a useful bit of news for a San Francisco offense that leans on his versatility and physical presence in the run game and around the goal line. [Read more 🡒]
John Lynch Could Have One More Aggressive Move In Mind
The 49ers have been surviving the kind of stretch that tends to test a rosters depth as much as its talent, stacking wins even while dealing with injuries that have complicated the week-to-week picture. That kind of success can make a front office hesitate, but it can also sharpen the sense that the current group is close enough to justify a little more help before the season gets much deeper.
With the November 10 trade deadline looming, John Lynch could still have one aggressive move left to make if he decides the run should be supported rather than merely managed. The names tied to that conversation point in a few different directions, from defensive tackle Daron Payne to wide receiver Quentin Johnston to edge rushers Za'Darius Smith and Khalil Mack, which says plenty about the range of ways San Francisco could try to bolster itself without waiting for the market to come to it. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Injury Report Brings Early Concern And One Intriguing Possibility
The first Week 5 practice brought an early dose of concern for San Francisco, with five players sitting out as the 49ers started preparing for Seattle. Nick Bosa, James Thompson, Kyle Juszczyk, Marques Sigle, and Upton Stout were all absent, while Mykel Williams, Mike Evans and Kaelon Black took part on a limited basis as the team tried to sort through an injury list that already had some familiar names on it.
Williams is the most intriguing piece of the group, since a return to the field could be on the table after he worked his way back from injury. Coach Kyle Shanahan also said Stout is day-to-day with a shoulder issue, which at least gives the 49ers some reason to keep a close eye on the week rather than assume the early absences will define it. [Read more 🡒]