49ers Takeaways vs Denver (Preseason Week 1)
What We Learned From The First (Almost) Real 49ers Action Of 2025
While preseason games are technically exhibition matches, they’re the first live-action snaps each fan base gets to see in the newest chapter of their favorite franchise. If a San Francisco playoff run is going to happen in 2025, it will hinge on rotational players and rookies contributing meaningfully throughout the year. These preseason games are as pivotal as they come. Let’s review what we saw, “positivity sandwich” style.
The Good: Robert Saleh is finally back home
The rest of the NFL can debate Saleh’s record as a head coach all it wants. As far as the 49ers are concerned, he’s been among the highest-performing coordinators in the sport, and the ideal second-in-command to Kyle Shanahan. What we saw tonight was a glimpse of just how devastatingly effective this pairing can be.
Sporting what amounted to a second- and third-string defense against Denver’s first team, Saleh punched Sean Payton in the mouth. Two Broncos drives yielded just 21 net yards over 10 plays—and negative two points—thanks to a timely Chase Lucas blitz that forced intentional grounding in the end zone. The early run defense and tackling were also on point. The last time we saw Saleh on the home sideline, it was in the Super Bowl. It’s only two drives, but they were everything the fan base could have hoped for. The defensive side of the ball is in good hands for years to come.
The Bad: Swimming in the shallow end of the roster pool
Notice the qualifiers above; “the first two drives” and “early on.” That’s because the wheels came off once those drives ended, on both offense and defense. Rookies Alfred Collins and Nick Martin struggled mightily (more on that later). Assignments were blown left and right.
The offense was even worse, failing to score after the Nix safety. God forbid the Niners have to rely on a backup offensive tackle this season. Fans would end up watching our newly minted $250 million quarterback served up like warm pudding 35 dropbacks a game. Beyond Jordan Watkins and Demarcus Robinson (who is likely to be suspended to start the season), the receivers are a mess. All due respect to Robbie “Chosen One” Anderson.
And fingers crossed the third-string quarterback is not currently on the roster. Both nepotism beneficiary Carter Bradley and “cool name, bad quarterback” Tanner Mordecai looked objectively awful… Again, with all due respect.
The Also Good: New faces who may be hits
We didn’t even get to see two of the more vaunted camp performers, Upton Stout and Mykel Williams. But we did see two drives of Mac Jones against the NFL’s number-one defense from 2024. The first included a 50-yard bomb to rookie Watkins and ended in a touchdown. The second was cut short by a poor route from Watkins, leading to an interception.
Overall, it feels like the Niners have one of the better backup QB situations headed into 2025. Watkins showed promise despite the route mistake, drawing seven targets that produced three receptions for 59 yards. He was used at various levels and in multiple play designs; if he can iron out some rookie inconsistencies, he could be a Day 1 contributor.
In the secondary, veterans Dallis Flowers, Jason Pinnock, and Tre Brown all made plays as they compete for the final starting corner spot alongside incumbent Darrell Luter Jr. Chase Lucas shined in the nickel/box role Saleh so values in his defense. Rookie safety Marques Sigle totaled seven tackles (five solo) before leaving with a knee bruise.
Training camp darling C.J. West lived up to the hype, splitting double teams and disrupting the run game. Kick return ace Junior Bergen had a nice runback on his first punt return. The key question with rookies is: does their college tape translate to the pros? With Bergen, Sigle, Watkins, and West, that’s exactly what we saw Saturday night. Still a long way to go and much stiffer competition ahead. But so far, so good.
The Other Bad: Nick Martin and Alfred CollinsSpeaking of college play carrying over… That’s not what we saw from Collins and Martin. This isn’t shocking: Collins missed camp during the second-round contract holdout wave, and Martin is recovering from a major knee injury.
Both thrived in college on physical dominance. Martin with speed, Collins with size. It takes time for players like that to adjust to NFL-level athletes. Collins was repeatedly stood up and pushed around from the defensive tackle spot, with a noticeably high pad level at times. But he also had several solid reps as well. Martin struggled badly in both tackling and coverage, whiffing on run support, missing a key third-down crosser, and allowing a touchdown on a shallow out route. https://x.com/NFL/status/1954383990703718816
Right now, Collins looks like a rotational piece on early downs, and Martin may not even be special-teams caliber. Can they grow? Absolutely. Will they? Almost certainly. But what they become is anyone’s guess. That’s the deal with rookies. Given how reliant the 49ers are on hitting draft picks this season, an underperforming mid-second and fourth-rounder would be far from ideal.
The Final Good: Did the new front office crush undrafted rookie signings?
Time will tell as roster cuts come and competition heightens, but several undrafted rookie free agents (UDFAs) stood out Saturday night.
DT Sebastian Valdez recorded four tackles, one tackle for loss, half a sack, and an additional QB hit. Showing a high motor all night (and reportedly in practice as well). At more crowded positions, Stone “Cold” Blanton (ILB) and Drew Moss (OG) both impressed. Blanton forced a fumble that Denver recovered, while Moss put his athleticism on display.
In college he posted a 90.5 overall PFF grade (81.3 pass-blocking, 92.6 run-blocking) and tested extremely well athletically pre-draft. He fits the mold of the nimble guard Shanahan’s zone scheme demands, and on Saturday he flashed it: reaching the second level, washing down interior defenders, and sealing the lead gap for the run game.
The front office has a strong track record with interior OL scouting, and Moss could be another hit. I’d love to see him make the final 53. He played mostly tackle in college, bringing added versatility should he survive the cut. If even one UDFA stick, or a few land on the practice squad, it would constitute a big win in a year that usable depth matters more than it ever has to Kyle and John.