The San Francisco 49ers’ first official depth chart of the season is out, and the big takeaway is simple: plenty of it is just a starting point. The communications staff put it together, and the team won’t be back in front of reporters until its next block of practices.
Still, the chart created a few eyebrow-raisers. Connor Colby is listed with the starters at left guard, a strange twist after he had already been demoted to third string.
If Colby is the best option there, that’s the call. But the whiplash of going from first string to third and back to the top unit in a month is hard to ignore.
There’s also room for movement in the receiver group. It would not be a surprise if Deebo Samuel or Demarcus Robinson ends up outsnapping De’Zhaun Stribling, or if all three wind up with similar usage.
Their roles are clearly going to be different, and Deebo’s value in the run game stands out here. His blocking is a real asset, while Robinson was not as strong in that area.
That could mean Robinson sees more of the field in obvious passing situations, with Stribling and Deebo handling more of the down-to-down work.
On defense, Alfred Collins has some catching up to do. He told reporters he’s “not where I wanna be yet,” though he also said he has made progress since then.
His shoulder injury kept him out for the first block of training camp practices in July, and in the preseason he looked like a player still working his way back. He wasn’t forceful, didn’t initiate enough, and too often seemed to react rather than take control or get off blocks.
That’s something worth watching as the season moves forward.
Gracen Halton was supposed to be the pass rush specialist, so if he’s not ready to go after missing all that time, it puts added pressure on the rest of the defensive line - or on Keion White when he moves inside - to get production.
The rotation up front could get messy in a hurry if Sam Okuayinonu is out or if Romello Height can’t play.
There was one encouraging note on the defensive side: Malik Mustapha is back at practice. That matters because he’s viewed as the secondary’s highest-ceiling player, maybe even the highest ceiling on the entire unit.
After missing so much time, the question now is whether he can push for a starting job or settle into some kind of rotation. Even when he was healthy, he was rotating with Marques Sigle.
In Other News...
49ers Now Face A Bigger Jed York Problem Than The Arrest
Jed Yorks recent legal trouble has already put the 49ers in an awkward spot, but the more immediate concern inside the organization may be what happens around the business side of the franchise if his presence stays limited. General manager John Lynch has said the team is preparing for possible league discipline while football operations continue under executive Al Guido, a setup that keeps the day-to-day work moving even as the owners status hangs over the building.
For now, the 49ers say the locker room and team activities have not been affected, which is the kind of answer clubs tend to give when they want the football to stay separate from everything else. Still, this is not just about the arrest itself. It is about how much of Yorks role can be carried out from a distance, how the league responds, and whether a franchise used to having its owner close at hand can keep functioning smoothly if that becomes the new normal. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Week 1 Could Hinge On A Rams Discipline Decision
The Rams enter their international opener against the 49ers with two notable players still available on paper, even as the league continues to weigh possible discipline. Puka Nacua is facing a civil lawsuit alleging physical assault and battery, and Alaric Jackson remains in the same waiting pattern, with neither player placed on the commissioners exempt list ahead of Week 1.
For San Francisco, the timing matters almost as much as the ruling itself. The NFL has shown before that suspensions can land in early September, but there has been no official announcement yet, leaving the 49ers to prepare for a division game with one more layer of uncertainty than usual. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Australia Plan Could Create A Huge Rams Debate
The 49ers trip to Australia for their 2026 season opener is already shaping up to be more than just a long-haul curiosity. San Francisco and the Los Angeles Rams are set to open the NFL regular season in Melbourne on Sept. 10, and the contrast in travel plans has become part of the conversation before either team boards a plane.
The Rams intend to arrive the day before the game and leave immediately afterward, while the 49ers are planning to get there several days early to adjust to the time difference. That difference has prompted some outside debate about which approach is smarter for handling jetlag, with neurologist W. Christopher Winter suggesting the Rams shorter stay could actually be the better way to manage the trip. [Read more 🡒]