The 49ers’ long summer lull is done. On Saturday, July 25, veteran players are set to report to the SAP Performance Facility in Santa Clara, joining the rookie class that arrived a week earlier and bringing the full roster together for the first time in 2026 training camp. The first on-field practice is scheduled for Sunday morning.
After an offseason filled with drama, medical rehabs, and roster reshuffling, Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch finally have everyone under one roof.
A big part of the early camp focus will be the health of several core players working back from injuries that ended their 2025 seasons early. George Kittle is drawing plenty of attention as he continues recovering from a torn Achilles suffered in the postseason.
Nick Bosa is also pushing through rehab after a torn ACL. Fred Warner enters camp fully healthy after missing 11 games last season because of a dislocated and fractured ankle.
How Shanahan handles the early workload for that group will matter, especially with Christian McCaffrey coming off a 413-touch workload. That figures to be one of the main storylines of the opening week.
Saturday also brings the official arrival of several notable veteran additions. Mike Evans, the future Hall of Fame wide receiver, reports after signing a landmark three-year contract in free agency. He’ll be joined by Christian Kirk, Dre Greenlaw, and newly acquired interior defensive lineman Osa Odighizuwa.
From there, the work shifts to getting those veterans plugged into Shanahan’s system and Raheem Morris’ defense during team walkthroughs.
With the veterans now in the building, the competition for depth spots and starting jobs is about to get real. And because the 49ers open Week 1 with an international matchup against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia, they’re already working on a slightly faster track than most of the league.
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 🡒]