Going into last season, the San Francisco 49ers had a lot of questions: Is Brock Purdy worth the money? When is Brandon Aiyuk coming back? Can Christian McCaffrey stay healthy? Is Robert Saleh going to fix the Defense? By the time the season was over, we definitely got our answers. Brock missed a big chunk of the season, CMC had 413 total touches last season, Aiyuk was absent, and Saleh’s defense dealt with injuries all year.
The first part of last season could have gone south very fast with all the injuries, but they held it together. In the process, we found out how deep this team is. The hits kept coming all year, but this team wasn’t phased. Even in the playoffs — losing Kittle early, on the road with practice squad guys as our starting linebackers stepping up — they pulled off a great team win. The ending to last season got ugly from the opening kickoff — it is what it is. In the end we got clarity: Brock is worth it. Aiyuk didn’t come back, CMC stayed healthy, and Saleh fixed the defense, earning himself another head coaching gig.
The carryover can’t be ignored. We saw Purdy do more with less, and the offense work without him. Now they’ve added Mike Evans, Christian Kirk, Deebo Samuel Sr, and rookie De’Zaun Stribling. It will be interesting to see who fills out that final wide receiver spot, but this current wide receiver core is definitely an upgrade. CMC staying healthy will be key, but with the new additions, it should open up the offense in ways we didn’t see last season. The depth behind him is still unknown, so RB2 will be worth watching. Kittle is aiming for a week 1 return, but if he’s not ready, Jake Tonges has shown he can be reliable in the passing game. Outside of the competition at left guard, the offensive line remains mostly intact from 2025. So in theory… the offense should be better, right?
On the defensive side of the ball, the 49ers are getting back the big names they lost to injury: Fred Warner, Nick Bosa, Mykel Williams. The 49ers brought back Dre Greenlaw and traded for defensive lineman Osa Odighizuwa. Losing Saleh is big, so Raheem Morris has some big shoes to fill. Establishing a pass rush will be huge — the lack of one last season put a lot of pressure on a young secondary. The 2025 49ers defense was tested from start to finish. We’ll see how that carries over to the 2026 team. So in theory… the defense should be better, right?
Overall, the 49ers look better coming into ‘26 with the offseason additions and the players returning from injury. Some questions remain: How do the second-year players progress? Which rookies make the biggest impact? Will Raheem Morris elevate the defense? Can they stay healthy? By the end of the season, these and many other questions will be answered. It’s why we tune in year after year.
