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PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 11: Ji'Ayir Brown #27 and Malik Mustapha #6 of the San Francisco 49ers in the locker room before the NFC Wild Card playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on January 11, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 49ers defeated the Eagles 23-19. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images) | Getty Images The San Francisco 49ers were relatively active with the opening of the new league year, adding players like Mike Evans, Osa Odighizuwa, and Dre Greenlaw, among others.
But now the bulk of free agency is over, and the draft is just around the corner. I wouldn’t expect the 49ers to add any player of note – especially with John Lynch saying they’re priced out of the Joey Bosa sweepstakes – so there likely won’t be any big additions before the 49ers are on the clock at the end of the month.
So, where do the vibes stand at each position group compared to where they were at the end of the season for the 49ers? Let’s rank them:
11. Offensive line
The Trent Williams situation is looming as a cloud over the offensive line, and there doesn’t seem to be a resolution in the near future. Lynch and company keep saying progress is being made, but after Williams’ roster bonus day came and went without any action, it feels as if there’s been no movement.
Beyond another contract dispute between the 49ers and a star player, there’s still no clarity at left guard. San Francisco went out and signed Brett Toth, who can play all three spots on the interior but hasn’t been a starter, and Rob Jones, who has 30 career starts but is coming off a broken bone in his neck.
Extending Williams will bring the vibes up at the position group, but the offensive line isn’t good enough to have two massive question marks on the left side.
10. Safety
After shuffling through Malik Mustapha, Ji’Ayir Brown, Marques Sigle, and Jason Pinnock in 2025 with less-than-stellar results, the 49ers have ignored the position thus far in the offseason. Pinnock, with five years of NFL experience, left and signed with the Giants in March, leaving a combined five years of experience at the position among Mustapha, Brown, and Sigle.
The signing of Nate Hobbs could offer some versatility to the group, but the cornerbacks have their own needs that could use Hobbs’ assistance. It could be that the 49ers are on the fast track to use a draft pick at safety for the fourth year in a row.
9. Defensive end
Another position that has been ignored by the 49ers so far in free agency. Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams returning from their knee injuries will certainly help the most lackluster pass rush in the league in 2025, but there’s not much more there. Bryce Huff retired, so the 49ers don’t even have the all-important middle-of-the-road pass rusher to hope takes that next step across from Bosa.
If we know anything about the 49ers, it is that this position will be addressed with their first pick in this month’s draft.
8. Cornerback
We’ve seen this multiple times now (2018 and now 2025): the 49ers’ secondary and pass rush go hand in hand. The key pieces are there with Deommodore Lenoir, Renardo Green, Upton Stout, and the added depth of Hobbs helps. But, even with that group in place last season, there were struggles with this group because of the lack of a pass rush.
There’s more confidence in this group than at defensive end because the pieces are there, but after the failures of 2025, it’s tough to be high on this group until the pass rush is improved.
7. Tight end
Knowing the exact timeline for the return of George Kittle will certainly help the vibes at tight end, but until then, it’s uncertain. The 49ers seem to be hopeful Kittle can return from his Achilles tear by Week 1, but even then, rushing back a soon-to-be 33-year-old player from an injury as devastating as an Achilles tear could be risky, especially with Kittle’s history of injury.
Jake Tonges is solid as a replacement, but until there’s clarity on Kittle, vibes will certainly be lower without the People’s Tight End.
6. Special teams
Right in the middle is the perfect spot for the special teams. Eddy Pineiro and Luke Gifford are back, while the 49ers upgraded on Thomas Morstead by signing former Steelers punter Corliss Waitman, who had a better average punt and more punts inside the 20 in 2025 than Morstead.
But the loss of Skyy Moore hurts a bit. The 49ers have been middling in the return game since Ted Ginn left the franchise back in 2012. Moore’s 27.5 yards per kick return in 2025 were the most since Bruce Ellington averaged 25.6 in 2015 (minimum 20 kickoff returns), and his 11.6 yards per punt return were the most since LaMichael James averaged 10.9 yards in 2013 (minimum 20 punt returns).
The kicking game shouldn’t be a concern, but the loss of the 49ers’ most prolific returner of the last decade could be difficult to overcome.
5. Defensive tackle
The 49ers got little production from the interior of their defensive line last season. Rookies Alfred Collins and CJ West showed some promise, but overall, there was plenty to be desired from the defensive tackles.
So the 49ers went out and got Osa Odighizuwa from Dallas, and suddenly things feel better at the position. San Francisco has been lacking a pass-rushing option from the interior since they traded DeForest Buckner away before the 2020 season and tried a big swing with Javon Hargrave a few years ago and missed emphatically.
Odighizuwa recorded 3.5 sacks last season, more than West, Collins, Jordan Elliott, and Kalia Davis combined. While the 49ers haven’t addressed the exterior pass rushers, the addition of Odighizuwa at least helps with getting after the quarterback.
4. Wide receiver
The 49ers really felt the effects of a post-Deebo, post-Aiyuk world, with some lackluster play from their receivers in 2025.
Jauan Jennings led the 49ers’ receiving corps with 643 receiving yards in his first attempt at being the No. 1 receiver. He decided that was enough to test free agency, and as of Sunday, he is still available.
The 49ers decided not to wait on Jennings’ market. They were proactive, signing veteran receivers Mike Evans and Christian Kirk in hopes they can stay healthy enough to revive what has been a consistently good position since 2019. If the 49ers can get a fully healthy Ricky Pearsall in 2026, the position should be far and away better than the production seen last season.
3. Running back
Losing Brian Robinson is a bummer as he was a solid spell-back option for Christian McCaffrey, but it’s hard not to be confident in this position as long as No. 23 is on the roster. Kyle Shanahan says he’s looking to take the workload off of McCaffrey’s shoulders in 2026, which means McCaffrey will likely get 75 percent of the carries again, leaving Jordan James and Isaac Guerendo. Whatever middle-round running back the 49ers select in the draft will fight over the other 25 percent.
2. Linebacker
The injury concerns that hampered this position in 2025 probably won’t go away, but having the duo of Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw back for 2026 instantly returns this position to the vibes it’s been missing since the end of the 2023 season.
If Warner and Greenlaw can stay healthy, production at linebacker should not be a concern, but that if should be bold and typed in size 100 font. Greenlaw has played 11 games combined since tearing his Achilles tendon in the Super Bowl a few years ago. But even if Greenlaw struggles with his health, Dee Winters is a solid backup option after starting 2025 as the Week 1 starter.
1. Quarterback
It really doesn’t mean much, but the 49ers have the best quarterback room in the NFL.
Ideally, Brock Purdy can stay healthy and take another step in his development, but having Mac Jones as a backup solidifies quarterback as the best position group on the 49ers. There aren’t too many teams that could survive their $250 million quarterback missing half the season, but the 49ers proved to be a unique case, as Jones helped lead San Francisco to a 12-win season.
