The San Francisco 49ers have their first unofficial depth chart out ahead of the preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans, and the biggest takeaway is pretty simple: this is August, not January, so the fan appetite for staring at starters is pretty limited.
That lines up with last week’s FanDuel Sportsbook poll, and it makes sense. Nobody is eager to see anyone take unnecessary hits when the games don’t count.
One of the more interesting spots on the chart is wide receiver, where Demarcus Robinson, Deebo Samuel, and De’Zhaun Stribling are grouped together. That matches what’s happening at practice right now with the injuries piling up.
Robinson is working at “X” with Mike Evans out. Deebo is at “Z” filling in for Ricky Pearsall.
Stribling is handling “F,” the slot role.
A few weeks ago, Robinson’s roster spot was still up for debate. Now, with the injury situation as it is, he looks like a lock.
The back end of the receiver room still has some real intrigue. One of the undrafted free agents could still force his way in, and Malik Turner is trying to get back on the roster again. August is where that battle gets sorted out.
The quarterback reps matter just as much, and Junior Bergen is trending in the right direction. Jordan Watkins, on the other hand, is working with…Adrian Martinez.
Up front, the offensive line picture is already getting clearer. Connor Colby is not really in the mix, and the 49ers were always expected to lean on a veteran at left guard.
That makes Robert Jones the player to beat there. Carver Willis is moving around a lot, taking snaps at both guard spots and center, and he’s clearly in information-gathering mode as he works with Jake Brendel.
Long term, the expectation is that Willis could eventually step in for Brendel next year.
On defense, there’s still room for movement, even if some of the early reports have Sebastian Valez making a push. That kind of talk sounds familiar from last season, and he still has to get through some undrafted free agents and a few draft picks from the past couple of years before anything is settled. The real proof will come when Valdez is no longer lined up against Austen Pleasants or the third-string group.
Bryson Eason is the name that stands out there. He fits the mold of Alfred Collins and C.J.
West as the 49ers keep putting a premium on stopping the run. At 323 pounds with an 85th percentile broad jump, he’s not easy to move.
At cornerback, Jack Jones sounds like a near lock to make it. If that holds, Nate Hobbs could be the odd man out unless the team decides to move on from rookie Ephesians Prysock. Jones brings the full boom-or-bust package: he can pick off a pass one snap and surrender a 60-yard play the next.
The other wrinkle is how creative Raheem Morris gets with the secondary. He has already used Deommodore Lenoir at nickel, and that raises the question of whether Upton Stout could get safety reps in the preseason. If the goal is to get the best five defensive backs on the field, and Jones is trusted to offer more than Ji’Ayir Brown, then a secondary with Renardo Green, Jones, Lenoir, Stout, and Marques Sigle is at least in play.
In Other News...
Kyle Shanahan Sounds Off On A Tough 49ers WR Setback
Kyle Shanahans first press conference since the 49ers opened training camp covered a lot of ground, from the teams early status to his own recovery after a car accident. It also brought the latest hit to a receiver group that had been expected to lean on Ricky Pearsall, with the rookies development already part of the conversation as San Francisco settled into camp.
Shanahan made it clear the setback changes more than just a depth chart, because the 49ers had been counting on Pearsall as part of their plan. With him unavailable, the focus shifts to the rest of the wideout room and whether someone else can absorb the opportunity while the team adjusts around another early obstacle. [Read more 🡒]
George Kittle's Recovery Has Become A Real 49ers Concern
George Kittles recovery from the Achilles tear he suffered in January has become one of the quieter but more important storylines around the 49ers as the season opener approaches. CBS Sports reports he is making good progress, and the optimism around his return is tied to how much San Francisco leans on him when he is healthy. It has already been a frustrating stretch for Kittle, who missed significant time last season because of multiple injuries, and the team is still waiting to see him back on the field in camp.
The timing matters because the 49ers open against the Rams in Week 1, a game that will tell a lot about how ready the offense is to start fast. There is confidence building around Kittles status, but the fact that he has not yet taken part in training camp keeps the situation from feeling settled. For a player whose value goes well beyond catches and yardage, every missed practice adds a little more weight to the opening weeks of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Romello Height Is Giving 49ers Fans A Real Reason To Watch Camp
Romello Height has become one of the more interesting names in 49ers training camp, not because he arrived with huge expectations, but because he has already started to look like a player who can matter in more than one way. The third-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft came in with questions about his size, yet he has been lining up in multiple defensive looks and showing the kind of pass-rush ability that tends to get a staffs attention fast.
For a team always looking to add pressure without tipping its hand, that kind of early versatility has value beyond the usual summer buzz. The 49ers are still figuring out how much Height can handle and whether he can grow into a role larger than the one originally envisioned for him, but the fact that he is forcing that conversation at all is reason enough to keep watching camp closely. [Read more 🡒]