The San Francisco 49ers head into training camp on July 26 with a familiar problem hanging over the roster: the team’s biggest offseason moves may not have done enough to fix its biggest weakness from last season.
That weakness showed up when injuries hit. Fred Warner, Nick Bosa, 2025 first-round pick Mykel Williams and Brock Purdy missed all or most of last season, and the 49ers leaned on players who had been fighting for roster spots just weeks earlier. Those replacements did enough to help San Francisco finish 12-5 and reach the playoffs, but the margin disappeared against a more talented, faster and better-prepared Seattle Seahawks team in a 41-6 divisional-round loss.
That game laid bare the same issue that has followed the 49ers for years: thin depth at linebacker, wide receiver and on the defensive line.
The concern is amplified by the bigger picture. Over the last 10 years, the 49ers have been the most injured team in the NFL while also carrying some of the league’s oldest rosters.
In that kind of environment, depth is supposed to be a priority every offseason. Instead, San Francisco leaned into veteran talent.
The first major free-agent move was signing 32-year-old Mike Evans, a receiver with a reputation as one of the best of this decade but also a player who has dealt with injuries over the past couple of years. The next notable addition was Dre Greenlaw, who has spent the last two seasons in and out of the lineup because of injuries.
Those are real answers to problem spots, but they come with obvious risk. If Evans and Greenlaw miss time again, the 49ers could wind up right back where they started. The front office seems aware of that, at least based on the contracts both players received: low-risk, high-reward deals.
That makes training camp a critical checkpoint. Getting the veteran group to Week 1 is going to be one of the main storylines, and any injury during camp would put the depth issues back in the spotlight fast.
There is one area where San Francisco does look sturdy behind the starter: quarterback. Brock Purdy is the starter, with Mac Jones backing him up, and that gives the 49ers a level of stability that matters. Jones showed that last season by going 5-3 in eight starts.
The team also tried to help itself by drafting players who could step in and contribute quickly. Still, rookies are rookies, and the jump to the NFL is a different challenge entirely.
If things break right, the second-year players from the 2025 draft can become serviceable pieces against top competition, while this year’s free-agent class has to outperform expectations. That’s the path to easing the depth concerns and giving the 49ers a better shot at a stronger season.
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George Kittle Just Added More Tension To The 49ers Aiyuk Drama
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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 🡒]