The San Francisco 49ers are fresh off a Super Bowl appearance and their fourth NFC title game appearance in the last five seasons. Although they fell just short of an elusive sixth Lombardi trophy, they are in a prime position to capture their first Super Bowl since 1994 with a roster still loaded with talent and with several key returners.
With one preseason game remaining, Head Coach Kyle Shanahan and General Manager John Lynch will have to make several tough decisions when constructing the 53-man roster, the last roster on which quarterback Brock Purdy will be on his insanely cheap rookie contract.
San Francisco 49ers Offense
Quarterbacks (3)- Brock Purdy, Josh Dobbs, Brandon Allen (new additions in italics)
Outside Looking In- Tanner Mordecai
There is no surprise here. Purdy is the unquestioned starter after posting one of the best seasons by a quarterback in franchise history, where he broke Jeff Garcia’s single-season passing yards record with 4,280, two yards better than Garcia’s 4,278 in 2000.
Dating back to 2022, the 49ers are 22-5 when Purdy gets most of the snaps. The only question will be who’s backing up Purdy. When training camp started, Allen, who spent 2023 as the 49ers QB3 behind Purdy and Sam Darnold, appeared to have the edge over Dobbs due to his familiarity with the system.
However, after the 49ers' recent preseason win over the Saints, Dobbs was easily the best of the four quarterbacks, including Purdy. While the backup position will likely be determined following the final preseason game, Dobbs should be the clear choice due to his ability to extend plays.
Running Backs (5)- Christian McCaffrey, Jordan Mason, Elijah Mitchell, Isaac Guerendo and Kyle Juszczyk (Fullback)
Outside Looking In- Matt Breida and Cody Schrader
Easily one of the most stacked position groups on the team, McCaffrey is the reigning offensive player of the year and the best running back in football, and Juszcyzk is the best fullback in football.
Mitchell and Mason are both above-average backup running backs. Mitchell was San Francisco’s starting running back in 2021 and finished eighth in the league with 963 rushing yards despite missing six games. His 4.7 yards per carry ranked third among the top 20 rushes, trailing only Nick Chubb and Jonathan Taylor, who were at 5.5.
Mitchell’s ability to be an NFL-caliber running back has never been questioned. The issue with Mitchell is his ability to stay healthy. Since the start of the 2022 season, Mitchell has only played in 21 of the 40 games, including the postseason.
On the other hand, Mason has only missed one of the last 40 games and has a career 5.6 yards per carry. Unlike Mitchell, Mason is a key piece of the 49ers special teams and has played over 50% of special team snaps in his first two seasons. That number will likely regress if Mason replaces Mitchell as the backup running back.
Guerendo was selected in the fourth round of this spring draft out of Louisville after spending the first five years of his college career in Wisconsin. He was never the primary runner with the Badgers but made the most in his one year while splitting carries at Louisville. Guerendo totaled over 1,000 yards from scrimmage in his lone season in the ACC, 810 of which came on the ground and 234 in the air.
Wide Receivers (6)- Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel Sr, Jauan Jennings, Ricky Pearsall, Jacob Cowing and Chris Conley
Outside Looking In- Ronnie Bell, Danny Gray and Trent Taylor
All the talk about the wide receiver room this offseason has been centered around Aiyuk and whether or not he’d remain a 49er. As of Aug. 21, Aiyuk is still a member of the 49ers.
Aiyuk is coming off two straight 1,000-yard seasons and was one of the most effective wide receivers in the NFL after finishing seventh in receiving yards despite ranking 36th in targets.
Samuel and Jennings will be back in their regular roles.
Wide receiver was the only position San Francisco invested multiple draft picks in, drafting Pearsall in the first and Cowing in the fourth. Conely didn’t play much last season for the 49ers but came up huge with two catches in the playoffs and two tackles on special teams in the Super Bowl.
Tight Ends (4)- George Kittle, Eric Saubert, Brayden Willis and Logan Thomas
Outside Looking In- Cameron Latu, Jake Tonges and Mason Pline
Despite what some might think, the 49ers have the best all-around tight end in the NFL in Kittle, who put up 1,020 yards in his age-30 season despite sharing targets with McCaffrey, Aiyuk, Samuel, and Jennings.
After losing Ross Dwelley and Charlie Woerner this offseason, the 49ers signed Eric Saubert and Logan Thomas. Saubert is more of a blocking tight end, while Thomas is a better receiver. With Kittle entering his age 31 season, both will have a significant role this season. Willis is entering his second season and is a special teams player.
Offensive Line (9)- Trent Williams, Aaron Banks, Jake Brendel, Dominick Puni, Colton McKivitz, Jaylon Moore, Spencer Burford, Nick Zakelj and Chris Hubbard
Outside Looking In- Ben Bartch and Jarrett Kingston
Just like Aiyuk, Williams is awaiting a new contract. As he should, not only is he easily the best left tackle in football, but one of the best players in general.
The rest of the O-line is mostly unproven. Banks, a 2021 second-round player, played just five snaps during his rookie season but has started 36 out of 40 games since then and has been a quality left guard. Brendel will return as starting center, where he has played and started all 40 games the past two seasons.
Puni, a rookie, has excelled this preseason and has earned a starting job at right guard, a spot that Burford and Jon Feliciano struggled in. Next to Puni at right tackle will be McKivitz, who is entering his fifth year. With Puni, the right side of the line, which cost the 49ers the title, will be improved.
San Francisco 49ers Defense
Defensive Line (8)- Nick Bosa, Javon Hargrave, Maliek Collins, Leonard Floyd, Yetur-Gross Matos, Kevin Givens, Jordan Elliott and Robert Beal Jr.
Outside Looking In- Shakel Brown and Jonathan Garvin
Nick Sorenson will lead the 49ers' defense after a disappointing year under Steve Wilks. The D-line is revamped with the additions of Collins, Floyd, Gross Matos, and Elliott after losing Chase Young and Arik Armstead this offseason.
After years of searching, the 49ers hope Floyd will be the answer as the defensive end to complement Bosa. Bosa is coming off a down year by his standards, as he “only” got 10.5 sacks after combining for 34 the past two seasons.
Linebackers (6)- Fred Warner, De’Vondre Campbell, Dee Winters, Jalen Graham, Ezekiel Turner and Curtis Robinson
Outside Looking In- Tatum Bethune and Demetrius-Flannigan Fowles
If Dre Greenlaw is healthy, this group will be the deepest on the team, especially with the addition of former pro bowler Campbell. Of course, Greenlaw will miss a chunk of the season after tearing his Achilles on the sidelines warning up during the Super Bowl.
While Greenlaw is a top-10 linebacker when healthy, his partner in crime, Warner, is still the unquestioned, undisputed best in the world at linebacker. He'll do his thing, but the biggest question is if Campbell and the rest will hold down the fort until Greenlaw returns.
Cornerbacks (5)- Charvarious Ward, Deommodore Lenoir, Renardo Green, Darrell Luter Jr, and Isaac Yiadom
Outside Looking In- Rock Ya-Sin and Chase Lucas
Ward had always been a solid cornerback, but he took a huge step forward in 2023 and is now considered a top-10 player at his position after posting career highs in interceptions (5) and passes defended (23). Lenoir is coming off a strong season and can play outside and slot corner.
Since Richard Sherman's departure, the 49ers' cornerback room outside of Ward has been a cause of concern, but this year, Green, Luter Jr., and Yiadom joined Ward and Lenoir, giving the group great depth.
Safties (4)- Talanoa Hufanga, Ji’Ayir Brown, Malik Mustapha and George Odum
Outside Looking In- Tracy Walker III
2022 First-Team All-Pro Hufanga tore his ACL in Week 12 last season but is expected to return to practice this week, a great sign given how recently that is when you think about that kind of injury.
In the absence of the USC product, Brown stepped up and played great next to the now-departed Tashaun Gipson Sr. Brown had three interceptions in seven starts, including playoffs, the final one coming in the Super Bowl against Patrick Mahomes.
Mustapha has played well in his first preseason as an NFL player, and Odom is a valuable special teams player.
San Francisco 49ers Special Teams
Specialists (3) Jake Moody, Mitch Wishnowsky, and Taybor Pepper
Outside Looking In- P Pressley Harvin III
It was hard to imagine anyone replacing Robbie Gould as kicker for the 49ers. In the first 16 games of Moody’s career, he put up Gould-esque numbers at 21/24 on field goal attempts, identical to Gould’s 87.5% as a Niner. Moody was also perfect on PAT attempts during that stretch at 58/58.
Moody finally missed a PAT in a meaningless 21-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in week 18 after San Francisco clinched the top seed in the NFC. But to truly live up to Gould, Moody would have to shine in the playoffs, where Gould never missed a kick in his career. (39/39 on PAT and 29/29 on FGA). He missed field goals in each of the 49ers' first two playoff games and missed a critical extra point in the Super Bowl that could’ve won the game in regulation for them and not have sent it to overtime.
Wishnowsky has been with the 49ers since 2019 and Pepper since 2020.
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