Training camp is here, and the 49ers have a long list of questions to sort through before they ever get to Melbourne.
The old noise around Brandon Aiyuk and the electrical-substation theory should fade now that the team is back to work, but the real business starts Saturday when all players are due to report. Practices begin Sunday, the first padded session comes a few days later, and San Francisco has to get itself ready for a Sept. 10 opener against the Los Angeles Rams in Australia.
That means bodies, minds, passports and sleep schedules all matter right now. It also means camp will be less about headlines and more about who’s healthy, who’s ready, and who can seize a job.
The biggest issue is health. Six months after last season ended in a 41-6 loss in Seattle with a depleted roster, the 49ers are tracking a long list of players working back from injury or managing workloads.
George Kittle is coming off an Achilles issue. On defense, Nick Bosa, Mykel Williams, Keion White and Alfred Collins are all dealing with injury recoveries, while Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw and Tatum Bethune are also on the list.
Mac Jones is coming back from a shoulder issue. So are Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing.
Patrick Taylor Jr. and Isaac Guerendo are in the mix too, though Guerendo is sidelined by a pectoral tear.
That opens the door for backups to get real reps. It also raises the stakes for the joint practices with the Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Chargers, especially after injury attrition wiped out the 2024 joint practices with the Saints. The 49ers need enough healthy bodies to make those sessions matter.
On offense, Mike Evans is one of the most interesting pieces to watch. He arrives as a 13,000-yard receiver who can help build chemistry with Brock Purdy, as long as his hamstring cooperates. The 49ers do not need a camp full of jump-ball work in the red zone, but Evans changes the shape of the offense by getting open, making plays and pulling coverage away from other targets and space-creating backs.
That matters because San Francisco still has plenty to learn about the rest of its receiving group. Injuries kept Pearsall, Cowing and Jordan Watkins from contributing last season, and one of those players may need to handle return duties as well.
Defensively, new coordinator Robert Saleh’s moves will be under the microscope. The 49ers have a front that keeps changing, and camp has to help everyone get on the same page before Week 1.
Saleh is not expected to lean on the same old pass-rush approach, so pressure will need to come from more than just the Wide-9 defensive ends. There’s also plenty to watch in the secondary, where man-to-man work and one-on-one drills should show how the defensive backs handle more direct challenges.
The rookies on defense are worth a close look too. Romello Height, Jaden Dugger and Larry Worth III are all lengthy additions, and how they’re used as pass rushers and in coverage could say a lot about what the 49ers plan to do.
With so many defensive linemen coming off injuries, it would not be a surprise if the team adds a veteran to compete in camp. The only question is how prominent, how expensive and how available that player might be.
At running back, the 49ers need to find a better way to lighten Christian McCaffrey’s load after his NFL-high 413 touches and near 1,000/1,000 rushing/receiving season. Rookie Kaelon Black has a chance to push Jordan James for the backup role, and pass protection and receiving ability will matter as much as burst through contact in a no-tackle setting. Patrick Taylor Jr. and Sincere McCormick are also in the mix, and more help could still be on the way with Guerendo out.
Quarterback, at least at the top, should be straightforward. Brock Purdy and Mac Jones are expected to run the offense without drama.
The real battle is for QB3, where Adrian Martinez and 2025 seventh-round pick Kurtis Rourke will compete for the spot. That job could even set up a future move, with the winner potentially replacing Jones as QB2 before the Nov. 10 trade deadline or next year.
Elsewhere, the camp battles are stacked up across the roster: Connor Colby and Rob Jones at left guard, Renardo Green and Jack Jones at cornerback, everyone in the safety mix, and even Jack Bouwmeester and Corliss Waitman at punter.
In Other News...
49ers Suddenly Face A Brutal Question About One Young Running Back
Isaac Guerendo was supposed to be part of the 49ers long-term answer at running back after a promising rookie year, but a recent roster projection has put his future in a far different light. Drafted in the fourth round in 2024, Guerendo flashed enough as a first-year player to look like a useful piece in San Franciscos backfield, only to see his role disappear in 2025, when he appeared in 14 games without recording an offensive touch.
The bigger concern now is what comes next, because the projection has the 49ers carrying a different mix in the backfield and treating Guerendo as the odd man out. Between his injury last season and the rise of Jordan James, the path back onto the roster has gotten much narrower, and for a young player who seemed to have momentum not long ago, that is a sharp turn in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
49ers May Have Found Unexpected Help For A Major Defensive Need
The 49ers spent much of the 2025 season trying to patch up a run defense that too often gave ground in the middle, even after adding help to the interior. That makes every fresh body at defensive tackle worth watching, especially when the player arrives with a reputation for doing the dirty work against the run.
One of the more interesting additions is former Illinois tackle James Thompson Jr., whose calling card is stopping the run and who now gets a real shot to push for a place in training camp. The path is still narrow, though, because he will need to show more as an interior pass rusher if he wants to turn that opening into a spot on the 53-man roster. [Read more 🡒]
George Kittle Just Added More Tension To The 49ers Aiyuk Drama
Brandon Aiyuks social-media frustration with the 49ers has been lingering in the background for a while, and George Kittle did little to cool it off when he was asked about the situation. Kittle backed the organizations handling of the matter and framed the whole thing as part of the messy reality of contract talks, which is hardly a surprise in a league where even productive players can find themselves stuck in a prolonged standoff.
The uncomfortable part for San Francisco is how much this saga circles back to timing. The 49ers had earlier chances to lock Aiyuk in at a lower price before the market moved, and now the discussion is less about whether the relationship has been strained than how much farther it can stretch. Aiyuks latest post about Christian McCaffrey only added another layer to a situation that already feels like it is waiting for the next public reaction. [Read more 🡒]