Kyle Shanahan is back at practice after a scary car accident, ready for year ten as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers and looking to build on the 49ers’ 12-5 campaign from last year. Klay Kubiak returns for his second season as offensive coordinator. Brock Purdy is back at quarterback. Christian McCaffrey returns as the lead back. Jordan James will look to replace Brian Robinson’s production in a backup role. The 49ers return five of their top eight receivers from last year and did a great job upgrading talent in the offseason. George Kittle remains the tight end. Mike Evans comes over from Tampa, Deebo Samuel is back after spending time in Washington, and the 49ers have big plans for Ole Miss rookie De’Zhaun Stribling. Ricky Pearsall will miss the season with a knee injury. Stribling suffered an ankle injury in Week 1, underwent surgery, and was placed on injured reserve. The San Francisco offensive line returns Trent Williams, Jake Brendel, Dominick Puni, and Colton McKivitz, while Connor Colby has taken over at left guard. The offensive line has allowed no sacks through the first four games of the season.
Raheem Morris will take over as defensive coordinator after spending last year as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. The 49ers lost their top tackler, Dee Winters, but returned eight of their top eleven tacklers from a season ago. Nick Bosa is looking to get back in action after playing only three games last year. Sam Okuayinonu returns on the defensive line but remains on injured reserve. Linebacker Fred Warner played just six games a year ago and is looking to get back into game shape as soon as possible. Tatum Bethune and Luke Gifford return. The 49ers welcome a few new players as Osa Odighizuwa comes over from Dallas, Dre Greenlaw returns after a year in Denver, and Louisiana rookie Jaden Dugger joins the team. The secondary returns Renardo Green, Deommodore Lenoir, Malik Mustapha, Ji’Ayir Brown, and Upton Stout. The 49ers also welcome Jack Jones from the Dolphins and Nate Hobbs from the Packers.
Brant Boyer returns for his second season as special teams coordinator. Eddy Piñeiro returns as placekicker after connecting on 28 of 29 field goals last year. Corliss Waitman had an interesting final week of the preseason: he was released during roster cuts, then brought back, and now handles punting duties. Jacob Cowing will again handle punt returns, while Deebo Samuel is the primary kickoff returner. The 49ers, like the Rams, played outstanding football last year and lost to a better Seahawks team that went on to win the Super Bowl. The 49ers were hit hard by injuries last year. San Francisco has opened 2026 at 4-0, while Purdy, McCaffrey, Kittle, Bosa, and Warner are all back on the field. The sky is the limit if they can stay healthy.