With 49ers training camp about to open, the biggest questions are already sitting in plain sight. Some are about who wins jobs.
Others are about whether the roster actually looks as good on the field as it does on paper. And a few are about health, because San Francisco can’t afford another summer filled with uncertainty.
The clearest battle is at left guard, where the spot is wide open and three different players have a real case to start. Connor Colby gets the first crack, but he was benched after six starts last year.
Robert Jones brings more experience, though he arrives as a free agent signing who missed last season with a neck injury. Then there’s rookie Carver Willis, who has upside but is making two transitions at once: to the NFL and to a new position.
That’s a lot to sort through for one job.
The defensive front is another area that looks stronger on paper, but training camp will tell the real story. Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams are both getting healthy, yet the key question is what version of each player shows up.
Bosa is getting older, while Williams still has room to grow. Alfred Collins is also expected to take a step in his second season, and Osa Odighizuwa was the biggest addition on that side of the ball.
If all four spots improve, the unit could look very different.
There’s also a clear plan behind several of the rookie additions. The 49ers didn’t go all-in on splashy first-year roles, but they did bring in players meant to help right away in targeted spots.
De’Zhaun Stribling was signed to help absorb the loss of Jauan Jennings. Kaelon Black is expected to win the backup running back job left behind by Brian Robinson.
Romello Height was drafted as a speed rusher after Bryce Huff retired. Even Willis is in the mix to start at left guard.
If those four higher rookie picks contribute early, that would be a major payoff.
The secondary has its own set of moving parts, even with all five players on paper set to return. San Francisco also added Jack Jones and Nate Hobbs at cornerback, drafted Ephesians Prysock, and brought in veteran safety Ashtyn Davis. That creates a real competition for playing time and forces the question of who gets pushed out.
And then there’s the biggest concern of all: health. The 49ers were the most injured team last year, and they need to enter this season in better shape.
George Kittle is one name to watch, but he isn’t the only star with questions hanging over him. If the team can make it through camp healthier, the mood around this group should rise fast.
In Other News...
George Kittle Just Shared A Wild Kyle Shanahan Fight Story
George Kittle has a way of turning even a casual offseason memory into a full-on locker room story, and his latest one goes back to a 49ers trip to Cabo years ago. The tight end was talking about a golf outing that included both families and a few drinks, when a playful exchange with Kyle Shanahan escalated into a moment that sounded more like a backyard dare than a coach-player relationship.
For San Francisco, stories like that are part of the backdrop to a season that always seems to carry a little extra personality under Shanahan and Kittle. The same article also circles back to the roster picture, including Dre Greenlaws emotional return to the facility and the buzz around Jacob Cowing as a potential camp standout, but the Kittle anecdote is the kind of thing that reminds you how loose and human this group can be before the real football starts. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Camp Absences Suddenly Put Early Week 1 Focus On Four Names
The 49ers first week of training camp already has a different feel because of the names sitting out and the roster shuffling around them. General manager John Lynch said the team waived undrafted rookie tight end Khalil Dinkins with a non-football injury designation and brought in Tanner McLachlan, a 2024 sixth-round pick most recently with the Bengals, while defensive tackle Evan Anderson is expected to be released once a corresponding move is made.
More pressing for San Francisco is the group starting camp on the active/PUP list, with George Kittle, Isaac Guerendo, Mykel Williams and Alfred Collins all set to begin on the sideline. Lynch said Kittles rehab is coming along tremendously and that he is doing everything possible to be ready for Week 1, while Williams is also making every effort to be available for the opener even if that remains uncertain. [Read more 🡒]
5 Young 49ers Could Force Their Way Into Camp Battles
Training camp has a way of turning depth-chart guesses into real competition, and the 49ers have a handful of young players who could make that happen before the pads even come on. Jordan James, Jacob Cowing, Romello Height, Kurtis Rourke and Ephesians Prysock all arrive with different paths, but the same basic challenge: show enough early to make the staff keep them in the conversation for roles that are still very much up for grabs.
For some, the opening is obvious. Cowing can help himself on special teams even before he proves more as a receiver, while Height is the kind of edge presence the 49ers have been searching for in the right situation. Rourke is trying to stand out in a quarterback room that already has established names, and Prysock has a chance to make life interesting in the secondary. James, meanwhile, is in the middle of a backfield race that could be decided by who looks most ready when camp starts sorting out the pecking order. [Read more 🡒]