- - 2026 NFL offseason preview: Can San Francisco 49ers take another step if they get healthy?

Dan PizzutaJanuary 18, 2026 at 5:15 AM

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2026 NFL offseason preview: Can San Francisco 49ers take another step if they get healthy?

The NFL offseason has begun, and Yahoo Sports is previewing the coming months for all 32 teams, from free agency through the draft and more.

AFC East: Bills | Dolphins | Patriots | JetsAFC North: Ravens | Bengals | Browns | SteelersAFC South: Texans | Colts | Jaguars | TitansAFC West: Broncos | Chiefs | Raiders | ChargersNFC East: Cowboys | Giants | Eagles | CommandersNFC North: Bears | Lions | Packers | VikingsNFC South: Falcons | Panthers | Saints | BuccaneersNFC West: Cardinals | Rams | 49ers | Seahawks

San Francisco 49ers

2025 season record: 12-5 (o 10.5 wins), third in NFC West, lost to Seahawks in divisional round, 10th in DVOA

Overview

Backing the 49ers going into 2025 was mostly based on two ideas. One, the 49ers were going to be healthier than they were in 2024 when they led the league in adjusted games lost to injuries by a wide margin. Two, as a fourth-place team, San Francisco was also expected to have one of the league’s easiest schedules. A healthy Niners team would be expected to dominate weaker opponents. Neither of those things happened. The 49ers were decimated by injuries almost immediately and by DVOA, the 49ers played the sixth-hardest schedule in the league.

Still, San Francisco won 12 games and played for the No. 1 seed in the NFC during the regular season finale, then got a road playoff win at the Eagles. This might have been Kyle Shanahan’s best coaching job. When Brock Purdy went down, Mac Jones was a top-10 quarterback by EPA per play. Then Purdy returned and was the most efficient quarterback in the league by that same metric. Christian McCaffrey was the healthy 49er, somehow, and his impact opened up the passing game for whoever was throwing the ball. The offensive success lifted a defense that had tried its best but couldn’t overcome all the losses, most notably those of Nick Bosa and Fred Warner.

Backing the Niners again in 2026 could hinge on the same ideas as it did heading into this season — but now there’s proof that if things don’t break the right way, it might not matter.

Cap/cuts outlook

San Francisco has just under $25 million in effective cap space, which ranks 12th heading into the offseason, per Over The Cap. The biggest move the 49ers will make is the likely release of Brandon Aiyuk. There were reports during the year that the team voided the future guarantees in the receiver’s contract and Aiyuk did not oppose. Still, for the 49ers to recoup money on the cap, they would need to designate the receiver as a post-June 1 cut. That would free up about $7 million in 2026 and $20 million in 2027, with a $21 million dead cap hit in that season. The 49ers could also open up $17 million in cap space with a restructure of Nick Bosa.

Key pending free agents

WR Jauan Jennings TE Jake Tonges DE Yetur Gross-Matos

Jauan Jennings went from plucky seventh-round pick to Kyle Shanahan's third-down pet project to a legitimate every-down receiver. Jennings led the team with nine receiving touchdowns and was second on the team in target share. Tonges stepped up to add another receiving threat in heavier personnel groupings. He caught four of five end zone targets for touchdowns. Gross-Matos missed time during the season but was a player Robert Saleh threw inside on passing downs to get a little more juice in the pass rush.

Positional needs

Edge GuardLinebacker

Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams were both lost for the season and the edge depth behind them was nonexistent. Bryce Huff can be a good pass-rush specialist, but his effectiveness diminishes when he has to play a bigger role. The 49ers finished 30th in pressure rate.

Ben Bartch was hurt in Week 2 and then only mixed in as a sub when he returned. Dominick Puni struggled on the right side while both Connor Colby and Spencer Burford had a blown block rate over 5% at left guard, according to Sports Info Solutions.

Fred Warner is a superhero and his impact was felt when he was injured. With Warner on the field, the 49ers ranked 14th in EPA per play. That dropped to 28th without him. Even with Warner on the field, the Niners could use more depth at linebacker behind or with Dee Winters.

2026 NFL Draft picks

1st round, pick 272nd round 3rd round 4th round 4th round (projected compensatory) 4th round (projected compensatory) 5th round (projected compensatory)

Good draft fit

Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia

The 49ers’ defense is in decent shape barring yet another heinous run of injuries. (That can’t happen again, right? Right?) So they should focus on protecting Brock Purdy, and Freeling would make a great understudy for 37-year-old Trent Williams. Freeling is an explosive athlete who can anchor well and has cleaned up mistakes over his college career.

Betting nugget

The 49ers had the easiest schedule as measured by preseason opponent win totals in the NFL, which helped them get to 12 regular-season wins. San Francisco also took care of business in games it was supposed to win, going 10-1 straight up (8-2-1 against the spread) as a favorite. — Ben Fawkes

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Sports”