The 49ers just got a veteran addition at receiver, and Brandin Cooks arrives with a résumé that still matters even if the best years are behind him. The Stockton native last played for the New Orleans Saints and Buffalo Bills in 2025, and in 15 combined games he caught 24 passes for 279 yards.
He hasn’t posted a 1,000-yard season since 2021 with the Houston Texans, but his career numbers still stand out: 9,811 receiving yards, 734 catches and 60 touchdowns. That places him sixth among active players in all three categories.
He and Brandon Marshall are the only two players in NFL history with 1,000-yard receiving seasons for four different teams.
For San Francisco, the appeal is pretty clear. Cooks may not have the same burst he once did, but the experience is the point here. With the wide receiver room banged up, the 49ers need someone who can get up to speed quickly and understand the offense without a long runway.
There’s also a bigger conversation bubbling around Brock Purdy, and it’s not hard to see why. One Warriors Twitter comparison framed Purdy a little like Steph Curry: someone who can run the system exactly as designed and still go off-script when the play breaks down.
That’s the lane Purdy has occupied so far. Against a weaker or jet-lagged defense, he has shown he can operate Kyle Shanahan’s offense cleanly while also creating on the move when the situation demands it.
The next three weeks, the comparison went, should tell us a lot.
The schedule around Week 3 is already set. Kyle Shanahan is scheduled to speak Wednesday, September 23 at 12:35 p.m., with practice following at 1:30 p.m. Then on Friday, September 25, the team will practice at 12:35 p.m. before Shanahan meets the media again around 1:35 p.m.
On the field, the run defense is still the area drawing the most scrutiny. The final numbers after the Dolphins game were fine on paper, just like they were in Week 1 against the Rams, but the early stretches told a different story.
Miami controlled the clock and kept the ball for nearly two-thirds of the first half. Through two games, the 49ers have faced 58 rushing attempts and allowed 3.9 yards per carry.
That tension between the surface numbers and the tape shows up in the grading too. One review pointed to CJ West’s run-defense grade of 26.4, which ranked last among 135 defensive interior linemen who had played at least 15 snaps against the run, according to Pro Football Focus.
Early in the second quarter, West got overwhelmed on back-to-back plays. On Jaylen Wright’s 8-yard run on second-and-10 from the 49ers’ 17, Aaron Brewer got leverage, turned West sideways and drove him onto his back.
On the next snap, Wright went for 3 yards up the middle on third-and-2, with Brewer and left guard Kaden Proctor combining on West before Proctor peeled off and Brewer pushed him 5 yards downfield.
There was still plenty to like on offense in the report card. Luke Farrell drew praise for his blocking in Week 1, and in Week 2 he and George Kittle played the same number of snaps.
Only one of them was targeted, but Kittle still showed enough burst to run away from safeties and even stiff-arm a rookie safety. The offense as a whole kept blocking well, and Trent Williams once again looked like Trent Williams - dominant enough to raise the grade almost by himself.
The line was good overall, though not spotless. There was at least one pass-protection snap where Williams was beat, and the review described it as surprising to watch him off balance.
Purdy wasn’t under heavy siege, but Miami still created enough pressure to make him move or stand firm in the pocket. The report card noted that the line was good, just maybe not good enough for a team like the Broncos or Seahawks.
On defense, Nick Bosa was again a problem, pressuring Malik Willis on 27.8% of his dropbacks. Romello Height was credited with a sack, though the play was really driven by Bosa forcing Willis into trouble.
Bosa also continued to stand out against the run, even if he missed a couple tackles.
Keion White also kept flashing. He drew a roughing-the-passer penalty that the review called comically bad, and the note was that he’s getting chances to play inside and making an impact a couple times each game.
That kind of disruption is exactly what the 49ers need. At the same time, West and James Thompson Jr. were knocked off the ball too often for the group to earn an A.
Osa Odighizuwa was described as a competitor who still gets moved at times, but he helps make up for it by pressuring the quarterback - something Thompson and West have not done.
In Other News...
49ers Suddenly Linked To A High-Upside WR Gamble
Marvin Harrison Jr.s NFL start has not matched the kind of lofty expectations that followed him into the league, and the early part of the 2026 season has only added to the frustration around his development in Arizona. For a player who arrived with major pedigree, the conversation has shifted from instant stardom to whether a change of scenery might be the best way to reset the trajectory.
For the 49ers, the fit is easy to understand. Their wide receiver room is getting older, and San Francisco has reasons to keep looking for younger, high-upside talent as it tries to stay ahead of the curve. Harrisons struggles make him a gamble, but they also make him the kind of name that naturally pops up when a contender starts weighing whether it can buy low on a former premium prospect. [Read more 🡒]
Brock Purdy Just Reignited A 49ers Debate Fans Know Too Well
Brock Purdys latest stretch has only strengthened the way the 49ers offense is being viewed, with back-to-back victories and a connection with George Kittle that PFF tracking says has become the most efficient quarterback-tight end duo in NFL history. For a team that has spent years cycling through debates about who best fits the job under center, Purdys steady play has given San Francisco a clear answer on the field, especially in the way he has consistently found Kittle and kept the offense moving.
Claire Kittles social media note of gratitude for Purdy added a new layer to the discussion, because some fans immediately read it as a swipe at former 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. The post itself is just part of the noise that follows any quarterback conversation in San Francisco, but it also says plenty about where the team stands now: Purdy has earned a level of trust that Garoppolo never quite matched, and the reaction around that reality shows the old debate is still very much alive. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Have More Riding On Sunday Than Just A 3-0 Start
A 3-0 start is about more than a clean early record, and for the 49ers it would mean joining a small but meaningful tier of teams that have a much better track record of turning September momentum into January football. Over the past decade, the numbers have favored clubs that leave the first three weeks unbeaten, with those teams far more likely to reach the playoffs and advance deeper than the ones sitting at 2-1 or 1-2.
San Francisco is in position to stake its claim to that group, and the timing matters because the race for playoff seeding often starts before most teams are ready to admit it. The Seahawks are also in the mix for the same kind of early statement, but for the 49ers the broader point is simple: Sunday is about more than staying perfect, it is about improving the path ahead in a conference where every small edge can matter later on. [Read more 🡒]