If there’s one thing hanging over the 49ers’ offseason chatter, it’s the same old front-line question: who’s going to help this team up front?
That’s the frustration driving the conversation, and it’s not limited to one spot. Interior, exterior, offense, defense, free agency, trade market - the ask is simple: the 49ers need more DUDES.
There are also a few moving parts elsewhere on the roster, starting with George Kittle. Adam Schefter said of the tight end’s Week 1 return, “But the 49ers may be very careful, and let’s see if he makes it back. I don’t think it’s a given, just yet.”
Deebo Samuel is back in the discussion too. One 49ers insider believes Samuel wanted to return to San Francisco, saying, “I do think Deebo had an interest in returning to the 49ers and was maybe even a little miffed that the 49ers so quickly signed Mike Evans as a free agent.”
On the offensive line, Carver Willis is getting a detailed look, but the early read points toward patience. The evaluation on him praises his hand placement, punch timing, combo-block work, redirect ability, and the way he competes through the whistle.
It also notes the issues that come with his length and says he can be forklifted off the ground, with pass protection looking like a spot where he needs more mass. The bigger picture is that the 49ers could try to protect him with scheme, but the view is that he’s more likely a future center than an immediate answer, with 2027 mentioned as the timeline to replace Brendel and become the center of the future.
There’s another layer to the line competition as well. In a look at Brock Purdy, Ricky Pearsall and the rest of the offense, Connor Colby was identified as the top left guard prospect, though only lightly because others are pushing for the job.
Colby had 452 snaps there as a rookie last year and stayed in the top spot through spring work. Robert Jones is the main challenger, with the note that he started 17 games in a similar Dolphins offense in 2024 and has more than 2,000 offensive snaps on his resume.
The catch: Jones is coming off a neck injury that wiped out his entire 2025 season.
And beyond the roster itself, the 49ers also made a real push to address concerns around their operation. They spent $9 million to upgrade their training facilities and hired three additional physical therapists, a move tied to dissatisfaction players had raised in the latest NFLPA survey, where teams are graded in 11 categories.
In Other News...
George Kittle Just Shared A Wild Kyle Shanahan Fight Story
George Kittle has a way of turning even a casual offseason memory into a full-on locker room story, and his latest one goes back to a 49ers trip to Cabo years ago. The tight end was talking about a golf outing that included both families and a few drinks, when a playful exchange with Kyle Shanahan escalated into a moment that sounded more like a backyard dare than a coach-player relationship.
For San Francisco, stories like that are part of the backdrop to a season that always seems to carry a little extra personality under Shanahan and Kittle. The same article also circles back to the roster picture, including Dre Greenlaws emotional return to the facility and the buzz around Jacob Cowing as a potential camp standout, but the Kittle anecdote is the kind of thing that reminds you how loose and human this group can be before the real football starts. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Camp Absences Suddenly Put Early Week 1 Focus On Four Names
The 49ers first week of training camp already has a different feel because of the names sitting out and the roster shuffling around them. General manager John Lynch said the team waived undrafted rookie tight end Khalil Dinkins with a non-football injury designation and brought in Tanner McLachlan, a 2024 sixth-round pick most recently with the Bengals, while defensive tackle Evan Anderson is expected to be released once a corresponding move is made.
More pressing for San Francisco is the group starting camp on the active/PUP list, with George Kittle, Isaac Guerendo, Mykel Williams and Alfred Collins all set to begin on the sideline. Lynch said Kittles rehab is coming along tremendously and that he is doing everything possible to be ready for Week 1, while Williams is also making every effort to be available for the opener even if that remains uncertain. [Read more 🡒]
5 Young 49ers Could Force Their Way Into Camp Battles
Training camp has a way of turning depth-chart guesses into real competition, and the 49ers have a handful of young players who could make that happen before the pads even come on. Jordan James, Jacob Cowing, Romello Height, Kurtis Rourke and Ephesians Prysock all arrive with different paths, but the same basic challenge: show enough early to make the staff keep them in the conversation for roles that are still very much up for grabs.
For some, the opening is obvious. Cowing can help himself on special teams even before he proves more as a receiver, while Height is the kind of edge presence the 49ers have been searching for in the right situation. Rourke is trying to stand out in a quarterback room that already has established names, and Prysock has a chance to make life interesting in the secondary. James, meanwhile, is in the middle of a backfield race that could be decided by who looks most ready when camp starts sorting out the pecking order. [Read more 🡒]