The 49ers’ roster has enough talent that even the players tucked deeper on the bench can matter in a real way. That’s the kind of luxury San Francisco enjoyed in 2025, when injuries hit several key spots and the team still found its way into the postseason before knocking out the defending Super Bowl champions in the wild-card round.
That depth showed up again in ESPN’s Bill Barnwell’s All-Backup Team for 2026, where the 49ers landed two defenders: linebacker Luke Gifford and safety Marques Sigle.
“The Niners provide two depth pieces on defense,” Barnwell wrote. “Gifford isn't someone teams want to have on the field regularly as a defender, but he's a valuable special teams contributor, which is where he'll be useful for our team.
Sigle began last season as a starting safety for the 49ers before eventually fading into a backup and special teams role as the year went along. We're taking a shot on him improving in Year 2.”
Gifford’s role became more significant because of all the defensive injuries last season, especially at linebacker. He logged 172 defensive snaps, the second-most of his seven seasons, and did enough in the third phase to earn his first Pro Bowl. For a team that needed bodies and production, that was real value.
Sigle, meanwhile, entered the league as San Francisco’s second fifth-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft. He opened the season as a starter with Malik Mustapha recovering from injury, but after Week 8 his role shrank sharply. There’s still a path for him to bounce back in Year 2 after a full NFL season, though he’ll need to show more in training camp first.
In Other News...
49ers Already Have A Few Rookies Fans May Regret Watching Closely
Training camp is about to put a few 49ers rookies under the microscope, but not all of them are walking into the same kind of spotlight. Some are already facing an uphill climb simply because of where they fit on the roster, while others are trying to show enough in a short window to make themselves more than just names on the practice field. For a team that has built a habit of squeezing value out of young players, the early read on this class is that patience may matter as much as raw talent.
Willis is one of the more interesting cases because his path appears tied to development as much as immediate opportunity, and Halton may be even tougher for fans to track once camp gets rolling. He could blend into the background behind other defensive linemen before preseason games give him a better chance to stand out, which leaves the real question centered on who can turn limited reps into a lasting impression before the roster picture starts to harden. [Read more 🡒]
The 49ers Offense Finally Has The One Thing It Lacked
For the first time in a while, the 49ers are heading into training camp without the usual noise around contract disputes or holdouts, and that alone gives the roster a cleaner runway. The bigger reason for optimism is the expected return of Fred Warner and Nick Bosa, which should restore some of the balance and depth that make this team so hard to play against when it is healthy.
On offense, the conversation is less about subtraction and more about finally adding the kind of help that was missing a year ago. San Franciscos wide receiver play never gave the unit enough juice, and the hope is that new pieces will change the equation by giving Brock Purdy more reliable answers and a more complete set of options. DeZhaun Stribling brings one kind of element, but the real question is whether the 49ers have found the kind of difference-maker that can turn efficiency into something more dangerous. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Fans May Need To Reconsider This Questioned Draft Pick
DeZhaun Stribling drew the kind of immediate reaction that usually follows a draft pick San Francisco fans are still trying to sort out, but the early noise around him may not have told the full story. The 49ers took him in the 2026 NFL Draft, and while the selection landed with some skepticism at first, later reporting painted a more favorable picture of where he stood on boards around the league.
Striblings appeal goes beyond raw upside. Evaluators have pointed to his blocking, speed and fit in an offense that can make use of those traits, and there is already some belief he could carve out a real role sooner rather than later. With a path that may open because of injuries and uncertainty at receiver, he has started to look less like a questionable pickup and more like the kind of sleeper who can force his way into the conversation. [Read more 🡒]