The San Francisco 49ers turned heads in 2025 by making the playoffs in one of the toughest divisions in football, yet something felt off. They were good—no question—but not quite in the same league as the Seahawks or Rams. The culprit? A roster built like a skyscraper with a shaky foundation. When their stars went down with injuries, the whole structure wobbled. That’s why this offseason, the Niners went all-in on depth and a smart draft strategy.
Fast forward to 2026, and the energy is different. An aggressive, well-planned offseason has San Francisco back in the driver’s seat of the NFC. My early take? They’ll be battling the Rams, Lions, and Cowboys for the best record in the conference. Let’s break down how much better each position group looks compared to last season.
Quarterback: Better, with a big "if"
No changes here at face value. The trade market for Mac Jones never really heated up, and Kurtis Rourke’s brief audition in December—after just a few weeks of practice—left more questions than answers. Was his performance tied to the team’s reportedly sky-high asking price? Hard to say. Ideally, neither sees the field in 2026. We want a full season of Brock Purdy’s playmaking magic in Kyle Shanahan’s system. When that happens, great things—not just good things—tend to follow. Verdict: Better, but only if Purdy starts more than nine games.
Running Back: A step back, but not a fall
Christian McCaffrey still put up 1,202 rushing yards in 2025, with 982 coming after contact. Impressive, right? But dig deeper: his rushing yards over expected dropped to -166, a far cry from +349 in 2023. He also didn’t hit a single run faster than 18 miles per hour. Father Time might be knocking, and history shows that players with 400+ touches in a season often see a decline. The 49ers have drafted running backs every year, and the 2026 pick might be needed sooner than later. Let’s assume McCaffrey’s workload lightens and his production dips. The real question is how much more rookies Kaelon Black and Jordan James bring than Brian Robinson did last season. Robinson was solid, but "solid" won’t cut it in a division this tough.