The 49ers may be drawing less buzz than the Rams and the Super Bowl champion Seahawks in the NFC West, but Marcus Spears isn’t buying any notion that San Francisco should be pushed aside.
"The 49ers can never be slept on. ... The issue for them is staying healthy."
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) August 18, 2026
—Marcus Spears on San Francisco's potential with a healthy roster 🏈 pic.twitter.com/SpajpHjqmX
With the 49ers set to face the Los Angeles Chargers in a preseason matchup on Thursday and the 2026 season approaching, Spears made it clear on “NFL Live” on Tuesday that San Francisco still has the kind of defensive talent that can tilt the division race. He pointed to the return of Fred Warner, Osa Odighizuwa, and Nick Bosa as the kind of core that can change how opponents have to attack.
“When you think about Odighizuwa and Fred Warner coming back…But you think about Bosa and Odighizuwa and generating a pass rush. Last year, the 49ers did not get after the quarterback out of a four-man rush, I'm sure, like they would have liked to,” Spears said.
That pass rush, Spears said, matters even more if San Francisco finds itself in the postseason trying to slow down offenses led by Matthew Stafford and Sam Darnold.
“If you get into the playoffs and having to deal with, obviously, Matthew Stafford, having to deal with Seattle with Sam Darnold, you're going to need to be able to generate pressure without bringing extra bodies, and that's going to be a calling card,” Spears continued.
For Spears, the message was simple: keep the 49ers on the radar. He closed by saying they should “never be slept on,” with the caveat that health will be a major factor for the defense. San Francisco’s first real test comes in Week 1 on Sept. 10 against the Rams.
In Other News...
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Jacob Cowing, DeZhaun Stribling, Kaelon Black, Carver Willis, Austen Pleasants and Jalen Stroman all saw meaningful action, with the results mixed as the staff sorted through a crowded roster battle. Adrian Martinez handled the second half and left a little bit of everything on the tape, including a pick-six, but also a rushing touchdown and a passing touchdown as the 49ers kept the scoreboard moving while the evaluation window stayed wide open. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Injury Pileup Is Raising New Concerns Before Week 1
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Kyle Shanahans update on the defensive front added another layer to the concern, even if it came with some cautious optimism. He said Nick Bosa is making progress, while Mykel Williams is still trending toward missing the season opener. With the regular season approaching, the 49ers are once again navigating the uncomfortable mix of waiting, monitoring, and hoping the injury report does not keep growing. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Facing Uncomfortable Roster Calls As Two Camp Battles Intensify
The 49ers are moving deeper into preseason evaluation mode, and a couple of roster questions are starting to feel less like camp chatter and more like decisions the front office may have to live with. Christian McCaffrey remains part of the bigger picture, but the more immediate pressure is on players such as Kirk and Colby, whose place on the roster now depends on how the team weighs performance, health, and fit as August unfolds.
Kirks case has become especially tricky because the injury interruptions have stacked up alongside a dip in production, which puts him in the middle of a real cut conversation rather than a routine depth chart debate. Colby, meanwhile, is fighting a different kind of battle, one centered on the starting guard job and the sort of interior competition Kyle Shanahan and Chris Foerster tend to use as a true test of who can hold up when the pads come on. [Read more 🡒]