The 49ers are moving through the final stretch of training camp, and the biggest storyline has been the injury list. That has opened the door for some players to grab extra snaps, while others have watched their chances slip away.
With the third week of camp nearly finished and joint practices with the Tennessee Titans coming before Thursday’s preseason opener on Aug. 13, a few names have clearly separated themselves. Here are the players who have taken advantage of the moment - and the ones who have not.
Rookie receiver De’Zhaun Stribling has been one of the loudest winners so far. Wideout injuries have thinned the room, but Stribling has used the extra work to show off his speed and ability to threaten the field. He has been getting open, getting targeted, and actually finishing plays when the ball comes his way.
Deep corner 70-yard TD from Brock Purdy to De’Zhaun Stribling the highlight so far today. Purdy has been very on point, even for his high standard, with the deep throws this training camp. And Stribling is very fast
- David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) August 10, 2026
Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel may still sit ahead of the Round 2 draftee when the initial depth chart comes out, but Stribling is making a strong early case.
Brock Purdy belongs in the same conversation. The 49ers quarterback has been sharp, and the reports out of camp suggest he has been attacking difficult throws while also cutting down on interceptions.
He has done that without some of his best targets on the field, including Evans, George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey. Even Grant Cohn of Sports Illustrated, who is usually tough on Purdy, has gone so far as to say 2026 is shaping up to be Purdy’s best camp yet.
Demarcus Robinson has also been impossible to ignore. Entering camp, there was a real chance he could get squeezed out by the numbers at receiver after the arrivals of Kirk, Evans and Stribling, plus the fact that his biggest production last season came in the Wild Card win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Instead, Robinson has shown up every day and kept making plays.
He's not particularly fast, but he's big and tough and dependable, similar to Jauan Jennings. Robinson is fearless over the middle, he has a big catch radius and he's at his best in the end zone where he made two catches today. Theoretically, Mike Evans can do all these things even better, but he has been injured for most of camp, while Robinson hasn't missed a day.
That kind of consistency has put him in position to stick.
On defense, Jack Jones has turned heads at cornerback. He was brought in as competition for Renardo Green, but there’s a case to be made that the 49ers would be better off with Jones starting next to Deommodore Lenoir.
He seems to come away with an interception at nearly every practice, and the turnover production has been a welcome sight after it was a problem last season. San Francisco may have found an unexpected answer there.
Not everyone has been climbing. Jordan Watkins entered camp with a chance to take a step forward after injuries slowed him as a rookie, but that push has not materialized. Matt Barrows of The Athletic noted that Watkins has been getting plenty of looks, but Stribling has been the one making the difficult catches in traffic.
There are two guys that get a lot of passes thrown their way. One is Stribling and the other is Jordan Watkins.
The difference has been that Stribling has been able to haul in those tough passes across the middle... There’s an arm in there, and you gotta bring that ball in, and Watkins hasn’t been able to do so.
With Jacob Cowing, Christian Kirk and Demarcus Robinson also in the mix, Watkins is running out of room fast.
Connor Colby’s slide has been even more obvious. San Francisco originally had the second-year lineman as its first-string left guard, but Robert Jones has since taken over that spot, and rookie Carver Willis has entered the picture despite returning late after a camp concussion.
Colby, who had stepped in for some starts after being drafted in the seventh round a year ago, has now lost that role as well. At this point, he looks like a fringe backup, and a roster spot is far from guaranteed.
The same uncertainty is hanging over Enrique Cruz Jr. when it comes to the offensive line. The rookie tackle was selected in the fifth round out of Kansas last April, and the 49ers knew he would need time to develop.
But this has not been a smooth camp. He has been beaten repeatedly in both one-on-one and team work, and Trent Williams even pulled him aside for some direct coaching at one point.
To quote ESPN's Nick Wagoner, "it's been a rough camp" for Cruz thus far, and the Niners may not have roster room to remain patient.
In Other News...
Brock Purdy Looked Sharp But One 49ers Problem Kept Showing Up
Brock Purdy drew plenty of attention for looking sharp in the joint practice against the Titans, but the bigger takeaway for the 49ers was how often the operation around him still looked unfinished. The day had its share of practice skirmishes, and the offensive line remained a point of focus as San Francisco continues sorting out protection and interior stability while Christian McCaffrey rests with tightness, Zamir White has been brought in to help the backfield, and Nick Bosa works his way back from a torn ACL.
The left guard spot is the one that keeps hanging over camp, and it is hard to ignore how much that position matters for a team trying to settle its offense before the real games begin. San Francisco has already been forced to keep adjusting pieces around the line, and with the competition there still evolving, the 49ers do not exactly have the luxury of treating it like a minor summer detail. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Suddenly Face A Christian McCaffrey Concern They Cant Ignore
Christian McCaffreys summer has hit a familiar speed bump, with muscle tightness and soreness keeping him out of multiple 49ers training camp practices. San Francisco is moving carefully with its star running back, choosing to hold him away from live drills rather than risk turning a manageable issue into something bigger as camp rolls on.
The timing has pushed the 49ers to thicken the backfield around him, and they turned to veteran Zamir White for added depth while McCaffrey works his way back. For a team that leans so heavily on McCaffrey when he is right, every missed rep matters, and the early weeks of camp are starting to feel like the kind of stretch that can quietly shape the rest of the season. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Get Their First Real Look At De'Zhaun Stribling's Upside
The 49ers are about to get their first real preseason look at rookie wide receiver DeZhaun Stribling, and the opener against the Titans should tell them plenty about where he fits. San Francisco wants to see more than just basic camp flashes here, with an eye on how he handles different routes, shifts around the formation and brings value after the catch.
For a team always searching for receiver depth and playmaking help, Striblings debut is less about the box score than the details that show up in August. If he can separate in more than one spot and create something once the ball is in his hands, it will give the 49ers a better read on how quickly he can contribute to the offense. [Read more 🡒]