The grass is cut, the lines have been painted, and the sprinklers are humming. This past weekend the San Francisco 49ers kicked off Training Camp in Santa Clara and these are the biggest questions heading into the 2026-2027 season.
Can CMC do it again?
As most 49ers fans know, last season Christian McCaffrey touched the ball more times than any player in franchise history, after an injury-plagued season in 2024. No one expected that kind of workload from the now reigning Comeback Player of the Year, especially when early camp reports were claiming that he looked slower than years prior.
The question now though is what kind of season can he have after last year? Zero NFL running backs have ever had back-to-back 400+ touch seasons at this point in their careers, and only 3 running backs have ever had 400+ touches at the age of 30 or older: Walter Payton, Curtis Martin and Tiki Barber. Based on those statistics, the odds of another high volume season for McCaffrey is very unlikely, especially if he wants to stay healthy.
The 49ers need to support him by both lightening his workload and also limiting his short yardage usage. Towards the end of last season we finally were able to see Jordan James emerge as a backfield option, though it was in a very limited capacity. The team also spent their third round pick on National Champion Hoosier Kaelon Black, who has been raising some eyebrows since joining the team. Between these two young guys, Juszczyk, and Tonges who has played some fullback, the team should have plenty of options for short yardage so that McCaffrey isn’t facing the battering ram in every situation.
So can CMC do it again? I would never count him out. Do I think it’s likely? Not with his injury past.
Will the Wide Receiver room be improved?
As the world knows by now, the 49ers have a disgruntled player sitting out that caused this position group to perform well below expectations last season. They tried to bandage the issue by trading for Kendrick Bourne, but with constant injuries to players like Pearsall, Cowing & Watkins, the group was extremely shallow and ultimately underwhelmed outside of a couple random big games.
The team made a point to address the position this offseason by adding future Hall of Famer Mike Evans, using their top draft pick on De’Zhaun Stribling in the 2026 NFL draft, and bringing in Christian Kirk to play the slot and add some veteran depth. Though they did let Jauan Jennings walk, the additions outweigh the subtractions and drastically improve one of the weakest position groups on the team last year.
There are rumors floating around that Deebo Samuel is wanting to return, and those fires were stoked when Kittle and Juszczyk voiced their support on social media. There are many reasons as to why this move wouldn’t make sense, but there’s also a handful of situations where it does. First, Christian Kirk is being positioned as the main “vet depth” on the roster currently, but he hasn’t been able to stay healthy since signing his contract. He missed multiple days of OTAs and has already missed the first 2 days of camp. Second, Deebo seems motivated. He didn’t have a down season last year by any means, he was actually quite productive when he got chances. Last year he put up 72 receptions for a total of 727 yards, averaging over 10 yards per reception, and 5 touchdowns. Compare that to Kirk’s 28 receptions for 239 yards, and 1 touchdown. Now, Kirk did miss 4 games to Deebo’s 1, but that also supports why Samuel would make more sense in that role this season given the injuries the 49ers constantly deal with.
Will the Defensive Line be improved?
I want to start by saying the 49ers Defense as a whole played admirably last year with all the adversity they faced and the injuries they had to deal with. They finished the season as the 13th best defense in the league (according to Pro Football Reference) while missing superstars Fred Warner and Nick Bosa, losing first round pick Mykel Williams, and having a defensive line ranked last in the entire league in sacks.
In the interior, the team added a massive need this offseason in Osa Odighizuwa, who was recently reported as a top-20 player at his position. The team also drafted two defensive tackles, Alfred Collins & CJ West, early in last year’s draft and have been receiving praise for their selection of Gracen Halton in the fourth round this year. As for Collins & West, having a year of starting experience under their belts is invaluable. They both got better as the year went on with Collins really coming into his own as a starter, and the additions of Osa and the rookie Halton help shore up the group nicely.
Vita Vea has recently requested a trade from the Bucs, and has expressed interest in joining the 49ers, Rams and Raiders, according to the excellent Ted Nguyen. This would make a ton of sense for the 49ers as the fit is there. They could easily move a draft pick and one of their younger pieces for Vea, who would instantly improve the group to one of the best in the league. They would just need to figure out how to make a contract extension work.
On the edge, there are more questions than ever. Nick Bosa will be back this year but he’s coming off the second season-ending knee injury of his career. You need to have speed, strength or both to rush the QB and that all requires a solid base. Having multiple severe injuries to his legs raises many questions, but most obviously will he be able to return to a high level? Mykel Williams was drafted in the first round of the 2025 draft to be a complement to Bosa, and showed signs of that, but not in the way that many had hoped. Williams struggled to get pressure when rushing from the edge, but found success when he was moved to the interior. His ability to set the edge well against the run allowed him to play a hybrid role in his rookie season, but the team is in desperate need of pass rush help off the edge opposite Bosa.
Overall, the moves the 49ers made this offseason improved the roster in some places, filled some gaps in others and bandaged issues for the present. After getting a bit younger and cheaper last year, they set themselves up to make some solid additions like Evans & Odighizuwa, to go all-in for a run at a championship. They just have one tough division to fight through.