The San Francisco 49ers have spent the preseason sorting out plenty of moving parts, but one area looks settled in a hurry: special teams.
That’s a notable development for a group that saw real turnover this offseason. Thomas Morstead departed to clear the way for Corliss Waitman at punter, Jon Weeks was brought back, and Eddy Piñeiro got a four-year extension. San Francisco also moved on from Skyy Moore, who landed with the Green Bay Packers, while Luke Gifford stayed in the fold on a two-year contract.
Piñeiro has wasted no time showing why the 49ers locked him in. Against the Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Chargers, he hit all four of his field-goal tries, including makes from 48 and 45 yards against the Chargers. Given how close to automatic he’s been since arriving in San Francisco last year, that kind of consistency hardly comes as a shock.
The return game has found a spark, too. With Moore gone, Jacob Cowing has taken on the competition for the role and made a loud statement against the Chargers, taking a punt back 83 yards for a touchdown. After missing the entire 2025 season, Cowing is clearly trying to carve out value anywhere he can as he pushes for a spot on the final 53-man roster.
There’s been impact on coverage as well. Nick Martin forced a fumble on kickoff coverage, KhaDarel Hodge fell on it, and two snaps later Jordan Watkins turned the short field into a 17-yard touchdown catch.
At punter, Waitman won the job by default after Jack Bouwmeester was waived a couple of weeks ago. That left Waitman as the lone punter on the roster after a camp battle that had been going on throughout training camp.
Even with those changes, the overall picture is encouraging for San Francisco. Brant Boyer deserves plenty of the credit after arriving in 2025 and reshaping the unit. The early preseason signs suggest that group is still trending the right way.
And that matters. Special teams helped steady the 49ers last season and gave them a crucial layer of stability during a year filled with injuries across the roster. In a game as volatile and situational as football, having that phase locked in can make a real difference.
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For San Francisco, the appeal is easy to see from a roster-building standpoint, even if nothing is close to concrete yet. The teams future running back plans will depend on how its current group holds up, but Cooks draft stock will be shaped by what he does in the upcoming season, when he gets another chance to show whether his game translates into the kind of long-term option the 49ers like to have in mind. [Read more 🡒]