The 49ers can look like a top-tier NFC team on paper and still end up buried in their own division. That’s the uncomfortable reality for Kyle Shanahan’s group, with the Seahawks and Rams sitting ahead of them and no easy path to catching either one.
That’s why the overlooked part of the game has to matter more in San Francisco than it does almost anywhere else. In a division this packed at the top, special teams can’t be an afterthought. It has to be an edge.
Last season, the 49ers at least got competent work out of that phase, and special teams coordinator Brant Boyer deserves the credit for it. He came in, won Shanahan’s trust and pushed the front office into making real roster investments in a part of the team it had mostly ignored for years. The work was basic, hard-nosed and unspectacular - exactly the kind of stuff Shanahan’s system had left on the shelf for a long time.
“He’s not going to make it complicated,” Shanahan said of Boyer. “You don’t want someone to come in and try to overly impress you with some gurued-up special team stuff.”
The results were solid enough on the surface. San Francisco finished third in expected points added on special teams last season.
But the deeper numbers tell a less flattering story. A lot of that success was helped by opposing kickers missing field goals, while DVOA had the 49ers at a far more ordinary 13th.
That leaves plenty of room for growth, and maybe even a need for it. A middle-of-the-pack special teams unit is not likely to be enough in a division where every inch matters.
The biggest boost came from Eddy Piñeiro, who stepped in after Week 1 and gave the 49ers exactly what they needed at kicker. He went 28-of-29 on field goals, hit one from 59 yards and missed only on a 64-yard try against the Indianapolis Colts just before halftime. The ball struck the dead center of the crossbar and fell short by a few blades of grass.
Piñeiro’s work earned him a four-year, $17 million extension, and it also gave Shanahan rare confidence in the kicking game.
“He came in and did a hell of a job last year,” Boyer said. “He proved his worth and he got rewarded for it.”
The upgrades didn’t stop there. The front office added more depth and more actual special teams bodies, including Luke Gifford and Siran Neal for the coverage units. That helped turn a weakness into something closer to dependable.
Still, the third phase remains unsettled in a few spots. Corliss Waitman won the punting job for the 2026 season over rookie Jack Bouwmeester.
The return game is also far from settled. Samuel was re-signed to a contract that turned him into a kick returner, but who will line up with him on the goal line is still unclear.
Punt returner is the biggest question mark of all. Jacob Cowing is the current favorite for Week 1, though injuries have been an issue and he’s not considered a sure thing. Jordan Watkins, Jack Jones and practice-squad addition Brandon Codrington are also in the mix.
That uncertainty is going to be part of the story when the 49ers head to Australia for their Week 1 matchup with the Rams. But it’s a necessary problem to sort out, because hidden yardage could be the difference between a deep run and an early exit.
In a division this tight, the margins are everything. One block, one bad punt, one return - that’s the kind of thing that can swing a season. For San Francisco, mastering that forgotten slice of football may be the only way to keep pace.
In Other News...
49ers Defensive Line Just Took A Tough Hit Before Week 1
The 49ers defensive front took another hit just before Week 1, losing Sam Okuayinonu to a broken foot and an immediate trip to Injured Reserve. The injury is serious enough to require surgery, and it removes a depth piece from a group that already figures to be under constant pressure to stay healthy and productive over the opening stretch of the season.
Khalid Kareem was brought in on the practice squad to help fill the vacancy on the defensive line, giving San Francisco another body as it adjusts its early-season rotation. For a unit that leans heavily on its front to set the tone, Okuayinonus absence leaves the 49ers having to sort out how much they can ask from the rest of the group while waiting for one of their edge options to get back in the mix. [Read more 🡒]
Shanahan Just Touched A 49ers Rams Dynamic Fans Know Too Well
Kyle Shanahans reaction to the 49ers season-opening trip to Australia sounded a lot like the way he has long talked about the NFC West road environment in Los Angeles: the label on the schedule does not always match the feel in the stands. Even with the Rams listed as the home team for the overseas game, Shanahan made it clear that San Franciscos fan base has a way of showing up where it matters, and he expects plenty of red in Melbourne too.
For the 49ers, the bigger issue is less the optics than the edge case built into any game played on another continent. Shanahan pointed out that every week matters across an 18-week season, and a unique opener like this one can shape the competitive balance before the schedule really settles in. It is a reminder that for a team used to leaning on its own crowd and routine, this one already feels a little different from the usual division setup. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Just Got A Week 1 Rams Update That Changes Things
Sean McVay has given the 49ers a clearer picture of what they can expect in Week 1, and it points to a familiar problem being available from the start. Puka Nacua, who has been dealing with psoas soreness, is expected to play when the Rams open the 2026 season against San Francisco. For a 49ers defense that will be trying to set the tone early, the news matters because Nacua has quickly become one of the most important pieces in Los Angeles passing game.
The matchup gets an added wrinkle because it will be played in Melbourne, Australia, the first NFL international game in that country. There had also been some questions around possible discipline under the leagues personal conduct policy, but Nacuas off-field situation is not expected to affect his Week 1 availability. So instead of a short-handed opener, the 49ers now have to prepare as if they will be seeing one of the Rams top targets right away on a stage far from home. [Read more 🡒]