John Lynch, Kyle Shanahan discuss 49ers’ 53-man roster
“San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch spoke to reporters on Wednesday, the day after the team reduced its roster to 53 players. Here’s everything they shared.”
49ers claim DT Jordan Jefferson off waivers from Jaguars
“The Jacksonville Jaguars selected Jefferson (6-3, 316) in the fourth round (116th overall) of the 2024 NFL Draft. As a rookie in the 2024 season, he appeared in eight games for the Jaguars, logging 12 total tackles, one sack, and one pass defensed.”
49ers add Marquez Valdes-Scantling, per source. Is Kendrick Bourne next? (paywall)
“Valdes-Scantling also has a background in the 49ers’ offense and should be able to get up to speed quickly. He spent his first four seasons with the Green Bay Packers, who run an offense similar to San Francisco’s. He also spent the last 10 months — first with the Saints, then the Seattle Seahawks — under offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, a disciple of Kyle Shanahan.”
49ers will sign former UFL MVP Adrian Martinez to practice squad as third QB
“Martinez completed 30 of 51 pass attempts for 352 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions during the preseason this summer. He gained 26 yards on three rushing attempts.”
John Lynch states 49ers will not honor Jauan Jennings’ prior trade request
““He asked for it, and we’ve moved on,” Lynch said of Jennings’ trade request. “We’re not doing that, so we’re moving forward.”
Insider: 49ers have ‘high interest’ in signing Kendrick Bourne (paywall)
“Such as: What if promising second-year cornerback Renardo Green can’t adequately replace All-Pro cornerback Charvarius Ward? What if unproven third-year linebacker Dee Winters can’t come close to filling Dre Greenlaw’s cleats? What if rookie safety Marques Sigle doesn’t evoke any memories of All-Pro Talanoa Hufanga? And what if the three rookie defensive linemen who were drafted in the first four rounds just aren’t ready to assume major first-year roles?
The 49ers have been scrambling to plug their many leaks. Last week, they traded for Moore and running back Brian Robinson, after dealing for pass rusher Bryce Huff in June. On Wednesday, they signed wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling. And they have interest in signing Kendrick Bourne to continue addressing their depth-starved wide receiver corps.“
The NFL and Nike unveiled eight 2025 club uniforms, part of Rivalries, a new uniform and fan gear program announced earlier this year. Each of the uniforms will be worn for one game this season. The San Francisco 49ers will wear theirs on January 4, against the Seattle Seahawks.
Here’s a look at all of the NFC West jerseys:
And now the different 49ers jerseys:
What are your initial reactions?
How we feeling, #49ers Faithful…
Black helmets + Black unis = PURE HEAT
#FTTB pic.twitter.com/mzwphNleG7
— 49ers & NFL News 24/7 (@49ersSportsTalk) August 28, 2025
Some fans are divided on the black-on-black look. The double red strips down the pant leg might look better if that same design wasn’t going horizontally on the shoulder of the jersey.
The numbers look pretty cool. The gold outline stands out:
JUST IN
THE SAN FRANCISCO #49ERS HAVE REVEALED THEIR NEW NIKE “RIVALRY” UNIFORMS FOR THE 2025 #NFL SEASON.
Thoughts on these…? pic.twitter.com/pJ6uVjlFg1
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) August 28, 2025
The “Faithful” in cursive above the jersey number in front is also a nice touch. If we’re being technical, I also like the font used for the numbers. There’s not much to complain about, as these could have been a lot worse.
Here’s a look at each of the rivalry jerseys:
The #49ers officially have 5 active unforms with the new Rivalry Jersey added to the mix
What’s your favorite:
Black Nike Rivalry
Red Throwback
White throwback
Red Primary
White Primary pic.twitter.com/hNktP1tRsv
— OurSF49ers (@OurSf49ers) August 28, 2025
What are your thoughts?
The San Francisco 49ers’ wide receiver room will likely look a lot different in Week 12 than it did in Week 1. Ideally, for the better.
The team recently signed wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling. According to The Athletic’s Matt Barrows, Valdes-Scantling is headed to the practice squad. For now, at least.
Barrows tweeted that Valdes-Scantling going to the practice squad is likely contract-related. Neither Over the Cap nor Spotrac has details on his deal, but this typically involves guarantees. I think it’s safe to say that we can expect MVS to be elevated from the practice squad for Week 1 and promoted to the active roster.
Here’s what the Niners’ wide receiver room looks like as of today:
Active roster:
Ricky Pearsall
Jauan Jennings
Skyy Moore
Russell Gage
Jordan Watkins
During John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan’s press conference on Wednesday, they weren’t asked about a status update for Watkins, who has been sidelined for a couple of weeks with a high-ankle sprain. Watkins not landing on the Injured Reserve or PUP list is a sign that the team expects him back at some point in September. However, that’s conjecture, and we have no concrete answer about his return other than the initial timeline, which would be right around Week 1.
Practice squad:
Junior Bergen
Robbie Chosen
Malik Turner
Marquez Valdes-Scantling
It’s Thursday, and the team can still make plenty of moves, but, surprisingly, they elected to go with Chosen or Turner over another young wideout that cleared waivers from another team.
Brandon Aiyuk is on the PUP list, while Demarcus Robinson is suspended for three games. Jacob Cowing’s hamstring must not have been a season-ending level of bad, as he is designated to return from the Injured Reserve at some point this season.
The San Francisco 49ers wide receiver room is a sight for sore eyes just nine days away from the season opener.
The team has struggled with health at the position throughout training camp, and is actively still looking for help for their Week 1 roster.
Currently, Ricky Pearsall, Jauan Jennings, Jordan Watkins, and Skyy Moore are the only wide receivers on the 53-man roster. The 49ers are expected to re-add Russell Gage to the group on Thursday, but even he was recently dealing with a minor knee sprain.
That’s why the team added Marques Valdez-Scantling to a one-year deal after he was released by the Seattle Seahawks. The wideout was signed to the practice squad, but should be called up for Week 1. He joins veteran Robbie Chosen and rookie Junior Bergen on the practice squad.
Jennings’s status for Week 1 remains in flux as he navigates a calf issue. The wideout has also been looking for a new contract, with general manager John Lynch confirming he requested a trade earlier in the offseason.
Jordan Watkins is also dealing with a high-ankle sprain, making his availability unknown as well, leaving Pearsall, Moore, and Gage as the lone healthy receivers on the 53-man roster. So, the team is still looking for more depth at the position, and a familiar face could be next to sign.
The New England Patriots released veteran wideout Kendrick Bourne after initially keeping him on the 53-man roster, leaving him free to sign with any team.
Bourne, entering his age-31 season, had 28 catches for 305 yards and one touchdown in 2024, playing in 12 contests. He was dealing with some injuries this offseason, so that will have to be monitored. But, he’s a familiar face, having spent the first four seasons of his career with the 49ers.
Could a return be in the cards? General manager John Lynch alluded to the possibility during a KNBR appearance on Thursday.
“Anytime a really good football player, who we had ties to—Kendrick [Bourne] started his career here—becomes available, there’s obviously going to be discussions,” Lynch said. “We’re trying to evaluate the pertinent information. Kendrick has been hurt in training camp there, so trying to see exactly where he’s at and having conversations.”
Bourne was initially an undrafted free agent back in 2017, but he was able to immediately contribute, catching 16 passes for 257 yards and a touchdown as a rookie. He went on to have his best season in 2020, going for 49 catches and 667 yards before signing a three-year deal with the New England Patriots in 2021.
He was extended by the Patriots on a three-year, $19.5 million deal last year, but has now been released and could very well be a 49er in the coming days and contribute in Week 1. San Francisco needs veteran receiver help alongside Pearsall. So, should they choose to pass on Bourne, it seems likely they’ll still look for one more receiver ahead of the start of the season.
The San Francisco 49ers officially announced the signing of wide receiver Russell Gage to a one-year deal. The Niners are thin at wide receiver. Based on his preseason usage, Gage will line up mainly in the slot. That’s where 64.7 percent of his usage was in two games this preseason. Gage caught five of his seven targets, but only one of those came beyond ten yards, and two of those were behind the line of scrimmage. Gage will wear No. 14.
To make room for Gage, the team released veteran safety Richie Grant, who signed a one-year deal with the Niners back in March. The 49ers did not get a chance to evaluate Grant during the preseason after he suffered a knee injury in early August. The emergence of Marques Sigle and the versatility of Siran Neal may have made Grant expendable in the 49ers’ eyes.
The team also officially announced the signings of quarterback Adrian Martinez, running back Sincere McCormick, and wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling to the team’s practice squad.
Slow news day? Not anymore. The Dallas Cowboys are trading Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers. According to Adam Schefter, the Packers already have reached an agreement on a four-year deal worth $188 million.
Micah Parsons is now the Highest Paid Non-QB in NFL History!!
Deal negotiated by @DavidMulugheta of Athletes First pic.twitter.com/m3DRfdIQta
— Athletes First (@AthletesFirst) August 28, 2025
That’s right, the same player who is one of three players to record at least 12 sacks in at least four of the previous five seasons. Oh, and Parsons is just now entering his prime at 26.
Schefter said the Cowboys will receive two first-round picks and a “front-line” player. That player is defensive tackle Kenny Clark.
It’s a major shake-up in the NFC. Some believed the Cowboys would bounce back after a down year. Good luck after trading away your best player and only getting back a 30-year-old defensive tackle and no edge presence. The Packers were always going to take a leap in Year 2 under Jeff Hafley. He’s too good a coach for them not to. Now, Parsons makes players like Edgerrin Cooper better and takes pressure off the likes of Rashan Gary.
Does this put the Packers over the top? Or do they still have a ways to go? Can we draw a red line through the Cowboys this season? There are still games to be played.
As they aim to piece together their wide receiver corps in the wake of several injuries at the position, the 49ers are showing interest in bringing back a former key contributor at that spot.
The release of Kendrick Bourne by the New England Patriots gave the 49ers the chance to potentially bring back a pass-catcher on whom they know they can rely following his previous four-season spell with the team.
And Bourne will head back to the 49ers’ facility to visit with the team that first gave him his shot as an undrafted free agent in 2017.
The 49ers, however, will have competition for Bourne’s services. Indeed, Bourne is also set to visit with the Washington Commanders, whose front office is led by former 49ers assistant general manager Adam Peters.
Bourne, per NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, will visit with the Commanders on Tuesday.
Rapoport added that a framework of a deal is in place with both teams, meaning the 49ers’ only task is simply to convince Bourne that his best bet would be return to San Francisco.
A key part of the pitch may concern Bourne’s role with the 49ers compared to his potential involvement in the Washington offense.
Bourne would at best be the third receiver with the Commanders behind Terry McLaurin and former 49er Deebo Samuel. With the 49ers’ injuries at wideout, there’s a strong chance Bourne could open the year effectively as WR2.
If healthy, that role would be set to go to Jauan Jennings. Yet a return from a calf injury for Jennings does not appear to be on horizon. As such, there is a clear opening at the WR2 spot behind Ricky Pearsall and, given his experience in the scheme from his previous stay, it figures that Bourne would have an edge over the likes of Skyy Moore and Russell Gage Jr.
In his time with the 49ers, Bourne was essentially Jennings before Jennings emerged, serving as a reliable third-down chain mover with a knack for coming through in the clutch. During the 49ers’ Super Bowl season of 2019, Bourne was tied-10th among qualifying wide receivers with a 59.1% success rate.
Even with the injuries to Brandon Aiyuk, Jennings, Jordan Watkins and Jacob Cowing — along with the three-game suspension for Demarcus Robinson — the 49ers still have several explosive playmakers. However, having Bourne as a dependable chain mover would help San Francisco’s offense maintain a high floor while the 49ers wait for their attack to get back to full strength.
San Francisco has been put in a difficult position on offense by the amount of injuries they have suffered at receiver. If the 49ers can beat Peters and Commanders to the signing of the Bourne, they will be in a better spot to overcome adversity at a key position and ensure Brock Purdy and Co. hit the ground running in 2025.
The San Francisco 49ers officially signed defensive tackle Evan Anderson to the practice squad. That felt like a given, even after initially releasing Anderson a couple of days ago. The team added an offensive lineman to the practice squad.
Kilian Zierer, an undrafted free agent out of the 2023 NFL Draft, is now on the practice squad. The 49ers are really beefing up in the trenches, which is wise. To make room for Zierer, the team released edge rusher William Bradley-King.
Since Zierer is from Munich, he qualifies for the NFL’s International Pathway Program. That exception allows you to have 17 players on the practice squad, as opposed to 16.
Zierer signed with the Houston Texans after the ’23 draft. He had an ankle injury during the preseason of his rookie year that landed him on the season-ending Injured Reserve List. He was on the Texans’ practice squad in 2024. This past offseason, Zierer signed with the Atlanta Falcons, but was waived on August 2. The Cleveland Browns signed him one day later, but waived him this past week.
Zierer, 6’7″, 312 pounds, played 27 snaps at left tackle this past season and 32 snaps at right tackle. That positional versatility likely made him attractive to the 49ers, as they can use him on both sides to give Robert Saleh’s defense a better look leading up to games.
Per Pro Football Focus, Zierer didn’t allow a pressure in 33 pass blocking attempts. In the preseason finale, he also earned a 91.1 run blocking grade.
Here’s a look at the 17-member practice squad:
WR Robbie Chosen
DT Sebastian Valdez
DT Evan Anderson
OG Nick Zakelj
OT Kilian Zierer (International Pathway)
LB Curtis Robinson
WR Junior Bergen
DE Trevis Gipson
CB Eli Apple
CB Derrick Canteen
LB Jalen Graham
OL Drake Nugent
WR Malik Turner
TE Brayden Willis
The San Francisco 49ers went with the quantity approach in the 2025 NFL Draft, drafting 11 players, which tied the league-high.
But, that doesn’t mean they haven’t found quality. First-round pick Mykel Williams is expected to play a big role, while third-rounder Upton Stout is projected to start at nickel cornerback. Even on Day 3, the 49ers found some players who could be hidden gems as rotational pieces.
Fourth-round pick C.J. West shone early before dealing with an injury, especially as a pass-rusher. But, the biggest surprise may have been fifth-round pick Marques Sigle, who has catapulted himself into the safety rotation.
Sigle, who played college ball at Kansas State, has constantly rotated in with the top unit during training camp, even earning starts during the preseason at safety.
After the third preseason game, he acknowledged the big learning curve and how the game is starting to slow down for him, with defensive coordinator Robert Saleh pointing out his willingness to learn.
“He’s done a really nice job,” Saleh said of Sigle. “All these rookies, if they thought preseason was fast, the regular season is about 100 times faster. So, the good news is that they’re capable and they’re willing to learn and they’re quick studies, so they’ll be fine as time goes.”
Communication has been a big growth spot for Sigle, according to Saleh, which is especially important at the safety position.
“Communication [is where he’s grown the most], ” Saleh said. “Just being on your job, being able to communicate on the sideline when something happens, to have the recall to have those conversations. It happened at practice today, we were talking about a route on how to play a certain route concept. He basically cut me off to talk about what his technique was, what he could have done better, where he was in the play, and you come back in and you watch the play really quick, and it’s like ‘alright,’ he’s recalling it.”
“He’s understanding it. He understands where his body’s at. So, there’s going to be a lot of those moments where he is like, ‘Man, I could have.’ We all trust that if he’s in the same situation he was in practice today that he’ll be in the position that he knows he should have been in. They’re all really cool in that regard.”
The fact that Sigle has been able to get up to speed as quickly as he has after missing OTAs has been impressive, as it isn’t all that common for rookies.
“Not all the time [do you see rookies pick things up that fast],” Saleh said. “Some, like I said, are quick like [Sigle] and some take a couple [of times and] will need to see it three or four times. But, he’s proven that. I mean, shoot, he missed all of OTAs, and for him to step in and do what he’s been doing has been pretty impressive.”
Now, it’s unclear if Sigle will ultimately earn the Week 1 start, with veterans Ji’Ayir Brown and Jason Pinnock also competing at the top of the room. But, the opportunity is there and it seems the rookie has been taking advantage ahead of the season.
The San Francisco 49ers will get Christian McCaffrey in Week 1. That instantly means 2025 is better than 2024 since he was unavailable to start that season. Now, how do you think the 49ers should limit him?
One of the things to watch when the San Francisco 49ers begin will be McCaffrey’s usage. Now that the 49ers have Brian Robinson to spell McCaffrey, and hopefully a healthy Isaac Guerendo to serve as the third option (and don’t forget Jordan James), a perfect world would say Kyle Shanahan won’t bat an eyelash at pulling McCaffrey for a play or two. As we know, that doesn’t exist because Shanahan also tends to run McCaffrey more than many may say is ideal.
But, given that McCaffrey is healed up from that nagging Achilles injury that kept him out last year, what would you do to limit carries if you had a say? We’ve already discussed the expectations with McCaffrey, and the general idea is to get him playing through 16 or 17 games.
The 49ers have potential for a quasi-3-headed beast (where one head is large and does most of the heavy lifting) for running backs. Given all the injuries (and money they syphoned to the position) it only makes sense to (finally) cut down on snaps going to McCaffrey. McCaffrey is no doubt going to get the money downs and lion’s share of the carries, but perhaps a bit more rest isn’t out of line.
While the 49ers have Robinson as a great second option, they don’t have Deebo Samuel this year. Which could mean McCaffrey picks up the slack, or Shanahan gets Guerendo and Robinson more involved, regardless. If the latter happens, Shanahan doesn’t seem too worried about someone else coming in, though it could hurt.
“[When] Christian goes out,” Shanahan said during his segment on KNBR’s Dirty Work, “Whether it’s a run play or pass play, it’s tough. Because you know he’s such a good runner and such a good receiver. But now, when you have a really, really good back behind him, and we take Christian out and things like that, you’re not so upset on all these plays because you know you’ve got a guy coming in there who you shouldn’t miss a beat on.”
One has to wonder how comfortable Shanahan would be if it were only Guerendo behind McCaffrey, instead of Robinson.
But back to the running back group: This is all assuming everyone can stay healthy. And we’re yet to see what the splits for 2025 will be. On the positive, it’s nice to see Shanahan admit pulling McCaffrey won’t be as painful as it may have been in previous seasons.
It seems like it might finally be the season where it’s not McCaffrey and a running back to give him an occasional break.’ Hopefully, we see all three with significant time and not just after the 49ers have put a game out of reach.
So, what split would you give this beast? In 2023, McCaffrey’s last full season, he averaged around 81 percent of the snaps. While that’s on the high end, in 2024, Los Angeles Rams’ Kyren Williams was on the field for 87.5 percent of the snaps, so that it could be worse. In 2022, McCaffrey had 72.4 percent of team snaps. This is an attempt to average his numbers with the 49ers only (this was when he was traded from the Carolina Panthers). If you factor in his time with the Panthers, that number is slightly higher.
If I’m in charge, I’m trying to get McCaffrey back to his 2022 snap percentage. Somewhere mid-60s. Nowhere near the 80s unless necessary. 65 percent of snaps go to McCaffrey, 25 percent go to Robinson, and ten percent can be given as something for Guerendo and possibly Jordan James to fight over.
Shanahan acknowledged on the same radio segment that Robinson does bring a different skill set than McCaffrey. KP has also pointed out that Robinson’s strength is around the tackles. Guerendo is just fast. With those behind McCaffrey having different traits, I imagine some packages are already planned so McCaffrey isn’t run ragged by Week 6. Their split seems small, but when they hit the field, they can basically explode without a hint of exhaustion.
How would you split this up? What do you think keeps McCaffrey fresh and, most importantly, healthy?
NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco tweeted that the San Francisco 49ers plan to wear their white jerseys during their early-season home games to offset any potential heat at Levi’s Stadium.
That means we’ll see the Niners’ white primary jerseys in Weeks 1, 2, 4, and 5. For the home opener against the Arizona Cardinals, the 49ers will don their white throwback jerseys. Here’s the entire jersey schedule, per Cam Inman:
Week 1, @ Seattle: White primary
Week 2, @ New Orleans: White primary
Week 3, vs. Arizona: White throwback
Week 4, vs. Jacksonville: White throwback
Week 5, @ Los Angeles: White primary
Week 6, @ Tampa Bay: White primary
Week 7, vs. Atlanta: Red throwback
Week 8, @ Houston: White primary
Week 9, @ New York: White primary
Week 10, vs. Los Angeles: Red
Week 11, @ Arizona: White primary
Week 12, vs. Carolina: Red
Week 13, vs. Cleveland: White primary
Week 14: Bye
Week 15, vs. Tennessee: Red
Week 16, @ Indianapolis: White primary
Week 17, vs. Chicago: Red throwbacks
Week 18, vs. Seattle: Rivalry black
49ers rookie safety Marques Sigle in position to start Week 1 as newest ‘Sultan of Swarm’ (paywall)
“A certain route concept gave Sigle some trouble. Saleh, as his job demands, attempted to walk the 23-year-old through the play. What went right, wrong, etc. But the rookie cut him off, so as to work through his own mental checklist. Saleh watched the play back after practice; everything Sigle said checked out.
“Some are quick, like him, and some will need to see it three or four times,” Saleh said Thursday, having lauded Sigle’s readiness to play free or strong safety.
This preseason has largely confirmed what the analytics told the 49ers about Sigle. Look for the player with the ball. You’ll probably spot No. 36. Pro Football Focus gave Sigle an 85.9 tackling grade, which on a 100-point scale ranked second among 49ers players and 13th across the league.
“Game came way slower,” said Sigle, who totaled 99 defensive snaps in his three preseason games. “I can finally see things pre-snap, anticipating motions, my alerts, so definitely ahead of the game now instead of behind.”
What NFL head coaches learn from the tough lessons of their top assistants (paywall)
““(Before), you have a feel for his issues but you don’t really understand his issues because you haven’t been through it yourself,” Saleh said. “So there’s more of an empathy this time around. I can feel when (Shanahan) kind of has the burden of the organization on his back and he just needs a ‘Hey, how ya doing?’ …
“You’re on an island. It’s a lonely place,” he added, laughing.
Saleh said that a head coach can have phases where it feels like there is “always a fire,” and that he has to solve the problems for everyone. When Saleh notices shades of a familiar stress reflected every so often in Shanahan’s face or demeanor, he makes it known he’s there if needed.
“Just to be an extra set of eyes, another ear for him to talk to, someone who has the empathy to understand what he’s going through — I’m always here for him,” Saleh said. “But, you know, coming in and trying to re-invent the wheel and tell him how I did things, who the hell am I?”…Saleh consulted in Green Bay for head coach and close friend Matt LaFleur in the latter weeks of the 2024 season and sought advice from Belichick about why he once returned to coach under Bill Parcells in 1996 after five seasons as the Cleveland Browns’ head coach.
“It was the same conversations, like he understood why Bill (Parcells) was doing things (after Belichick was a head coach),” Saleh said. “So he went back to a championship format, in terms of how they operated. And it helped him understand the ‘why’. For me, it’s coming back to a championship organization that I was familiar with. And it’s been great, because all of the ‘whys’ are starting to click.”
Some of Saleh’s time in New York feels like a wound, but one he can revisit because of what he learned. Having a larger view of the entire roster — offense, defense, special teams — for a few years as a head coach now informs some of Saleh and Shanahan’s collaboration.
“He can talk to me in a way that is more advanced than he probably talked to me back then,” Saleh said, “and it’s welcome.”
The San Francisco 49ers are having a bonus practice on Labor Day as they prepare for Week 1. According to reporters at practice, starting left guard Dominick Puni, edge rusher Yetur Gross-Matos, defensive tackle Kalia Davis, rookie cornerback Upton Stout, and wide receiver Russell Gage were all back at practice.
The big news, on the day the Niners are hosting free agent wide receiver Kendrick Bourne, is that Jauan Jennings is back at practice:
Jennings re-aggravated the same calf that bothered him during the offseason. That was August 7. At the time, general manager John Lynch said calf injuries tend to linger.
Nearly a month later, where a trade request presumably happened after neither side had been able to agree to a contract extension, Jennings is back in action.
It’s understandable why fans would be frustrated with Jennings, but minimizing his importance to the 49ers, given their current state of the wide receiver situation, feels wrong.
Jordan Watkins remains out. That means, outside of Ricky Pearsall, Brock Purdy’s wideouts would be Gage, Skyy Moore, and likely Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Needless to say, Jennings could help the 49ers’ offense just as much as last year, if not more, during these first couple of weeks with Demarcus Robinson sidelined.
The Athletic’s Matt Barrows tweeted that there has been no deal struck at this time between the 49ers and Jennings.
Ricky Pearsall is the most interesting 49er in 2025. We spent a practice trailing him (paywall)
“He goes through a ground-up warmup, beginning by rubbing a small massage ball on the bottom of his feet.
“Everything starts with your feet, right?” Pearsall said. “And Elliott’s (director of functional performance Elliott Williams) doing some toe stuff. I know it sounds weird, but we’re doing a lot of toe stuff. We’ve got a foot fetish on this team or something.”
Pearsall works his way up his body, stretching and warming his calves, hamstrings, quadriceps, glutes and hips. He pays special attention to his ankles with controlled articular rotations (CARs) and other exercises. For Pearsall, ankle flexibility is paramount.
“When I come out (of breaks), I feel like that foot angle I’m at, it allows me to open up my hips better because I can get in that real deep position,” he says. “I think that’s helped me a lot. I remember in high school, I had terrible, terrible mobility. After getting on top of that, I felt like I was a totally different player as far as cutting and speed.”
With Jauan Jennings back at practice, 49ers’ WR prospects don’t seem so bleak (paywall)
“Others who returned to practice for Monday’s so-called “bonus” practice included defensive tackle Kalia Davis, defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos and Gage. Puni, at right guard, and Davis, at defensive tackle, likely will start Sunday if they don’t have any setbacks.
The only member of the 53-man roster who didn’t practice Monday was rookie wideout Jordan Watkins, who is coming back from a high-ankle sprain. Watkins has been running on a side field in recent weeks. He’s unlikely to be ready for Week 1 but could be back soon thereafter.“
Kawakami: How the 49ers won their staredown with Jauan Jennings (paywall)
“I suspect his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, knew most of this was inevitable long ago, but had to play it out. Easy clues: After the initial July ESPN report of Jennings wanting a new deal or he’d seek to be traded, there was zero national coverage of this tense situation. None. Which is a sure sign of a player-driven situation, with the agent kind of riding along and waiting for the losing resolution.”
The punter called his own number: 49ers’ Morstead thrives as his own agent (paywall)
“A mechanical engineering major at SMU, Morstead, 39, first represented himself in 2018. And he did OK for himself. He negotiated a four-year, $15.85 million contract with the Saints that made him the NFL’s highest-paid punter.
He became his own agent partly because he didn’t like receiving secondhand information during contract talks. Did the front office really say that about him? What was the tone? He wanted direct communication. And it helped that it was easier to assess his performance, which includes quantifiable numbers such as hang time, than it is for players at other positions.“
Dominick Puni reveals recovery status after returning to 49ers practice
“”Getting to full strength,” Puni said. “The PCL heels pretty fast, so it’s feeling a lot better.”
As for being back on the field, the 25-year-old admitted there was some adjustment.
“Definitely a little rusty, but it just takes a day,” he noted. “So, I’m excited for Wednesday and Thursday.”
The lineman recalled feeling relieved when he learned the injury affected his PCL and not his ACL. Puni went down while blocking during a field goal attempt following the starters’ only offensive drive against the Las Vegas Raiders.
“That was the good news,” Puni said of learning his ACL was fine. “That’s when I smiled in there (in the medical tent). I was like, ‘All right, let’s go.’ But they said PCL could be anywhere from three to eight weeks, depending on how you recover. I’m on the better side right now, so it’s good.”
ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted that the San Francisco 49ers are releasing wide receiver Russell Gage from the active roster. Per Schefter, the plan is to re-sign Gage to the practice squad and elevate him for Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks. Of course, the caveat would be if Gage doesn’t sign elsewhere.
Aaron Wilson tweeted that the 49ers are promoting Marquez Valdes-Scantling to the 53-man roster from the practice squad. So, the two are effectively swapping spots.
Why? It could be contract-related. There are times when a player’s contract becomes fully guaranteed if he’s on the active roster. At the same time, Valdes-Scantling’s contract is around the veteran minimum since the Seattle Seahawks guaranteed his deal. So, perhaps this is a procedural move to help the 49ers save anywhere between $700,000 and $1 million.
If Gage doesn’t sign somewhere else, Brock Purdy will be throwing to both players this Sunday. So, while it impacts the 49ers financially, both receivers should be on the active roster come Sunday.
As we head into Week 1 and put the offseason in the rearview mirror, we can turn the page from hearing about how much talent the San Francisco 49ers lost this season. Ultimately, the players who left in free agency were either expendable, replaced by rookies, or had players waiting in the wings to replace them.
One starter the 49ers must replace, Aaron Banks, suffered a back injury that hampered him for much of this past training camp with the Green Bay Packers. While Banks is no longer on the injury report, when is the last time you met somebody who used to have a bad back? Those injuries linger and can pop up again at any moment.
San Francisco replaced Banks with a much cheaper version in Ben Bartch. He’s no stranger to the injury list, either. However, Bartch’s play last year made Banks expendable. It’s also a position the 49ers believe they can get by without investing heavily in, as evidenced by Bartch’s $1.17 million contract and his backup being an undrafted free agent rookie.
Charvaris Ward is an All-Pro talent. The 49ers elected to move forward with Deommodore Lenoir, but Renardo Green, a second-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, has the closest skill set on the roster to Ward. Green has the potential to flourish under Robert Saleh if he can stay healthy. There haven’t been many cornerbacks the 49ers have rostered who could turn and run with DK Metcalf. Ward and Green might be the only ones.
Lastly, Talanoa Hufanga. He’s starting in Denver. Hufanga was a goner as soon as the Niners drafted Malik Mustapha. Hufanga’s recurring injuries and lack of playmaking made it difficult to bring him back. Mustapha, beginning the season on the PUP list, isn’t ideal, but he’s on a rookie contract. When he was on the field last year, he was arguably one of the top three players for the Niners’ defense. The combination of Mustapha, Ji’Ayir Brown, and now Marques Sigle should more than make up for what Hufanga brought to the table.
Can we count Dre Greenlaw, even though he didn’t play last season? Dee Winters looked poised to break out last year, but the coaching staff went with a veteran. This season, it’ll be all Winters. If we’re doing bold predictions, mine will be that Winters is an upgrade from Greenlaw.
Comp pick update
And that brings us to where the 49ers stand in the compensatory market for next year’s 2026 NFL Draft. The 49ers had notable losses up and down the roster as they tried to shift from a veteran-heavy team and inject some youth into the roster. That led to releasing Leonard Floyd, Javon Hargrave, and Maliek Collins, among others, in exchange for a rookie class full of defensive linemen.
Trading for a veteran like Bryce Huff won’t impact the Niners’ comp pick formula. Huff figures to make an instant impact on a team that has been desperate to ensure Nick Bosa has help opposite him at all times.
Per Over the Cap, the 49ers are expected to receive three comp picks in the 2026 NFL Draft:
Aaron Banks – 4th
Charvarius Ward – 4th
Talanoa Hufanga 5th
San Francisco would have received two additional fifth-round picks for Jaylon Moore and Greenlaw. However, signing backup quarterback Mac Jones and tight end Luke Farrell canceled those contracts out. The seventh-rounder the team would have netted from Josh Dobbs was nixed by signing Demarcus Robinson. I don’t think the team will be unhappy about that if Robinson performs as I expect this season.
Mustapha and Isaac Guerendo were fourth-round picks, as was Jacob Cowing. The 49ers have hit on their fifth-rounders at an alarming rate. So, while they may not be receiving third-round comp picks anymore, the Niners stand to benefit next draft, or at least put themselves in a position to add useful talent.
It also gives John Lynch and the front office ammo to move up on the first or second day of the draft.
Deadlines spur action. Earlier on Wednesday, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said that he was expecting Jauan Jennings to play this Sunday. At the time, Shanahan said there hadn’t been any resolution as far as Jennings receiving a new deal. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, that is no longer the case.
Schefter tweeted that the 49ers and Jennings reached an agreement on a deal that will add $3 million of play-time incentives to Jennings’ original contract. Jauan was initially set to earn $7.5 million. Now, he has a chance to earn up to $10.5 million.
Interestingly enough, there were no years added to Jennings’ contract. Per Schefter, Jennings declined a multi-year offer from the 49ers. He plans to bet on himself and earn a bigger contract, perhaps elsewhere, next offseason.
Shanahan said the team wanted to keep Jennings and Colton McKivitz in the building for the long term. He also acknowledged that he didn’t think the team would be able to do it. That sounds like the 49ers had a number in mind, but it wasn’t to the liking of Jennings.
We will provide an update once Jennings’ contract details are available, so we can see what those specifics are as far as escalators go. Judging by the 49ers’ wide receiver room heading into Week 1, Jennings should have plenty of opportunities to rack up early-season statistics.
Every game is a big game, but divisional games matter more. They just do. The magnitude of the San Francisco 49ers-Seattle Seahawks rivalry took a bit of a nosedive last year. Thankfully, much has changed for both teams since the previous meeting.
The year is 2092, and as much as football will evolve by then, it’ll still come down to stopping the run and running the ball. Christian McCaffrey’s absence was felt on many levels, but his red zone efficiency and nose for the end zone propelled the Niners’ 2023 offense to unseen levels. They were one of the most prolific offenses of the century. When you take an MVP-caliber player away, your rushing attack is going to call off a cliff. Shocking, I know.
Stopping the run has been an issue for San Francisco since DeMeco Ryans left. You can point to injuries and personnel, but the attitude hasn’t been there. We are about to find out how quickly Robert Saleh injects attitude and violence into his unit. Let’s start on that side of the ball as we preview Week 1 between the 49ers and the Seahawks.
Getting new Grubb on the plate
Seattle fell for a collegiate offensive coordinator who had an NFL quarterback and three NFL receivers. Oh, and NFL offensive linemen. That same coordinator is back in the college ranks after a one-year stint in the league. If you’re not a college football fan, the coordinator we’re referring to had all offseason to come up with a game plan against an unranked opponent coming off a 2-win season.
How did he fare? After scoring a touchdown on the first drive, Alabama didn’t score again until the fourth quarter. Moreover, they had zero identity in the running game. That was a glaring issue for the Seahawks last season.
Out with Ryan Grubb, in with old friend, Klint Kubiak. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan believes we’ll see an offense that we’re used to watching every Sunday:
Some may chalk it up to “It’s just the preseason,” but it’s almost as if Kubiak was trolling Grubb’s 2024 offense the way Seattle was on the opposite end of the spectrum when it came to running the ball. Last year, the Seahawks threw the ball at the fourth-highest rate in the NFL. And it’s not as if they were a 3-12 team always playing catch-up. Not even close! They were a 10-win team.
Geno Smith lined up in the shotgun over 76 percent of the time, while Seattle only used play-action on 19 percent of its dropbacks. It would be difficult to find a worse split than that. It would also be challenging to come up with five offensive linemen in the NFL who would look good under those circumstances.
When the quarterback lives in shotgun, the pass rushers know where they’re going to be. You’re begging to be pressured. Coincidentally, among qualifying quarterbacks, Geno was pressured more than any other QB.
Run the damn ball!
Seattle’s preseason rushing stats would make any offensive line coach drool. In Week 1, they ran the ball 32 times for 170 yards. There were a pair of 20+ yard gains, but the theme was death by a thousand cuts. That wasn’t an outlier. In fact, in Week 2 against the Kansas City Chiefs — and they did this against the Chiefs’ starters — it got better.
The Seahawks ran the ball 48 times, as if they weren’t allowed to throw, for 268 yards. Again, this wasn’t Jalen Milroe running for 60 yards like he did at Alabama. Nope. The Seahawks were doing whatever they wanted, mainly relying on the same zone concepts the 49ers run.
Seattle ran the ball only 24 times in the final preseason game for 130 yards. They didn’t play any starters from the looks of it. Why? Based on reading the reports from joint practice, they took it to Green Bay during the week.
Kubiak and the Seahawks aren’t re-inventing the wheel. They’re getting under center, relying on their athletic offensive lineman to create running lanes so their backs can maximize yardage after pinballing off tackles and gaining a couple of yards after contact. Sound familiar? It should.
Kubiak aligned his quarterbacks under center at the fourth-highest rate last year at 41.7 percent with the New Orleans Saints. Conversely, Brian Grubb used the eighth-lowest at 21.8 percent. Sam Darnold will feel at home. When he was with the Minnesota Vikings, they were under center at the second-highest rate at 48 percent.
Not only will Seattle be doing away with shotgun formations, but Saleh and the 49ers can expect to see plenty of two-back sets. The Saints used two or more players in the backfield (excluding the QB) on a league-high 23.8 percent of snaps. Seattle was at 6.1 percent, which is the ninth-lowest.
Kubiak isn’t trolling. This is who he is as a play caller.
Shifting back to Saleh
National pundits are certain the 49ers will take a step back after losing Leonard Floyd, Javon Hargrave, and Maliek Collins along the defensive line. Even at Hargrave’s peak, neither of those three felt like the kind of players who resembled the type that made the Niners defense dominant during the Saleh/Ryans days.
Rolling with the youth movement doesn’t come without risk. Shanahan said the kids up front may present a challenge this season. But the style and structure should already be an improvement from the trio listed above.
The transition from finesse pass rushers to “good luck moving that guy” should make a world of difference, not just in the running game, but when it comes to tackling. First, a look at the difference in the average starting defensive line heading into Week 1 last year compared to this season:
’24 avg: 6’2″ 3/4 & 279 pounds, 32″ arms
’25 avg: 6’4″ 3/4 & 290 pounds, 33.5″ arms
The likelihood of smaller defenders falling off tackles is higher, which in turn leads to more yards after contact. There were several issues with Nick Sorensen’s defense last year. If we can pinpoint it to three, one of those was the missed tackles.
The 49ers’ defense missed a tackle on 13.8 percent of their tackling opportunities, per Next Gen Stats. That was the ninth-highest rate in the NFL and the highest rate on the team since Fred Warner’s rookie year. Those Seattle games were rough. San Francisco missed 23 tackles in both meetings against the Seahawks last year.
The 49ers were unusually static defensively last season, even for a coordinator who has never called plays. That led to outlier results. Nick Bosa, a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate, lined up over the right tackle on 70 percent of his snaps in nine of the 14 games he played in, including both matchups against Seattle.
Think about that. You have one of the best players in the league, and instead of creating mismatches or trying to open up a clean runway for him, Sorensen was like, “Nah, right here is good.”
Fred Warner is a Hall of Fame blitzer. He had the fewest pass rush attempts last season, despite playing more snaps than in some other seasons where the numbers were close. If the argument is that Sorensen didn’t trust [redacted], then I get it. Perhaps consider finding another player to put your best players in a position to succeed?
Speaking of rushing the passer with your best players, the 49ers recorded the third-lowest blitz rate on early downs and the fourth-lowest blitz rate on third downs. When they did blitz, they sucked. The Niners generated pressure 4.3 percent more often when they blitzed, compared to when they sent four or fewer rushers. The percentage difference created the second-lowest increase in the NFL. Shanahan had no choice but to part ways with Sorensen, regardless of the injuries and the personnel issues.
Meanwhile, the mad man of a coordinator Saleh did not hold back on third downs in the preseason:
We’ll also see a seismic shift in the type of coverage the Niners run. The 49ers ran zone 71.4 percent of the time last year, but had a 2-high shell only 19 percent of the time. That tells me Sorensen was living in Cover 3 — just asking to get beaten on elementary passing concepts.
Watching Saleh evolve over the years has been a joy. Saleh-led defenses ranked top three by highest Cover 4 usage rate in each season from 2019 to 2023. In 2020, Saleh’s last year with the Niners, the 49ers led the NFL in quarters usage with a 31.7 rate. That’s who he is, and it allows the defensive backs to be multiple and defend routes in a way they couldn’t from a structural standpoint in Cover 3.
Welcome back, Bob.
The Jimmys and the Joes
Kubiak could have the best play call possible, but if Nick Bosa runs through Abe Lucas’s face, we’ll never find out. Saleh may have dialed up his favorite blitz, but if 73-year-old Cooper Kupp takes rookie Upton Stout to task, the Seahawks stay on the field, and it was all for naught.
It’s a player’s league. It’s about the Jimmys and the Joes.
Seattle invested in athletes up front, and their plan looked to be coming to fruition in the preseason. They are as young as the Niners up front.
A scheme change will almost assuredly benefit Lucas and leave tackle Charles Cross. Rookie Grey Zabel was mocked to the 49ers in the top 15. He was a draft community favorite. Seattle’s center also went to North Dakota State a year earlier. There should be some cohesion between the two. Right guard Anthony Bradford is 332 pounds. It’s safe to say he’s the least athletic. I think we can also assume he is a people mover.
It’ll be a quality test for the likes of Bryce Huff, who is not known as a run defender, and the rookies. Mykel Williams was drafted to be a star. But it’s Week 1. Like Zabel, there will be inevitable struggles. It’s a nice luxury for the 49ers to counter Bradford with a mammoth of a man in Alfred Collins. Players like him and C.J. West were brought in to pull the 49ers out of the dumps when it comes to defensive rushing statistics.
Fred Warner and Dee Winters will man the middle. Another shocking stat about the 49ers’ defense last year was their inability to stop passes over the middle. Warner’s completion percentage allowed was ten percentage points higher than he allowed in any previous season. Again, outlier season.
Winters is excellent in coverage. He’s aware, and not only should he allow Warner to blitz, but he also has a knack for getting into throwing lanes or taking away the pass before it’s thrown. Speaking of outliers, Warner and Winters will face a 274-pound fullback. I wouldn’t worry about them confusing Sam Darnold. But it’s not every day you have to take on a fullback that’s bigger than Nick Bosa.
Can Darnold play mistake-free football? Will Saleh’s coverage bait him into a mistake? How will Kubiak use Jaxon Smith-Njigba? He seems poised for a breakout season. JSN led the league in receiving yards out of the slot last year. But that’s also been where Kupp has made his living.
It’ll be a wait-and-see for the Seahawks’ passing offense. Kupp thrives off motion, but Kubiak-led offenses have been under 20 percent motion when it comes to their receivers. So we’d be guessing when it comes to their passing game. Just as we would when it comes to Deommodore Lenoir, Upton Stout, and Renardo Green, and how they’ll be deployed.
Running backs Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet run hard and force miss tackles, but they like to bounce runs when they don’t have to. That could play into the hands of the speedy Winters. Both backs may pop a run or two, but if the Niners can force them to be efficient on a down-to-down basis, Saleh has to like his odds.
The game plan feels pretty straightforward for Saleh. Stop the run. Confuse Darnold on obvious passing downs—no cheap penalties. Limit missed tackles. Field goals won’t beat you. Explosive plays will.
Week 1 is officially here, and that means the Super Bowl champion is featured in the season opener. Tonight, we’ll see the Dallas Cowboys travel east to take on the Philadelphia Eagles.
A week ago, the Cowboys traded their best player and one of the best defenders in the league, Micah Parsons. Dallas received draft compensation and defensive tackle Kenny Clark. The prevailing thought was that the Cowboys would struggle to get any stops against an Eagles offense that features Saquon Barkley, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Jalen Hurts. New defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus will have his hands full.
On the other side of the ball, Vic Fangio isn’t walking into an easy out himself. Dak Prescott gets a new toy in George Pickens. CeeDee Lamb remains one of the most dangerous weapons in the league. But can Prescott be successful without a running game? That hasn’t been the case yet. Now, the Cowboys turn to Javonte Williams, a Denver Broncos castoff. Williams is known more as a receiving threat.
What are your predictions? I’ll go Eagles 28, Cowboys 20.
