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The 49ers‘ star power can make it easy to forget what has been the franchise’s ultimate steadying force: the quarterback position since Brock Purdy’s arrival.
He isn’t known as Mr. Irrelevant anymore.
He’s Mr. Reliable.
And he’s just one reason why the quarterback room is the place where head coach Kyle Shanahan should have the fewest concerns as their season opener against the Rams approaches.
Here’s how all the 49ers’ position groups stack up in terms of confidence:
1. Quarterback
The 49ers are 33-16 when Purdy is under center in the regular season, plus more playoff wins than any San Francisco QB besides Joe Montana or Steve Young. Since becoming the full-time starter in 2023, only two other quarterbacks have a better QBR than Purdy (103.5).
How much of Purdy’s success is a product of Shanahan’s offensive system is up for debate, but this isn’t: The turf toe that caused him to miss eight games last season has subsided, he has looked phenomenal in training camp and his backup, Mac Jones, is better than a handful of other teams’ starting quarterbacks.
2. Running back
If Purdy is the perfect fit to captain Shanahan’s system, then Christian McCaffrey is the engine that makes it hum. No player in the NFL makes a more profound impact on the game than McCaffrey, who led the league in touches last season for the third time in his career.
One problem: The previous two seasons that followed McCaffrey’s other most prolific outputs, he combined to play just seven of a possible 33 games because of injuries.
In the case that history repeats itself, at least the Niners are well positioned with recent draft picks Jordan James and Kaelon Black looking promising, another NFL-caliber runner in Sincere McCormick stashed on the practice squad and, of course, trusty fullback Kyle Juszczyk going for his 10th consecutive Pro Bowl nod.
But the fear of McCaffrey pulling up limp will live in the back of their minds all season.
3. Linebacker
Up and down the roster, the 49ers are in a better spot than where they were when they ended last season, but that might not be more true anywhere besides linebacker.
Just one of their starters from the divisional-round loss to the Seahawks is even on the 53-man roster, and Garret Wallow will back up Fred Warner.
Likewise, Tatum Bethune was asked to play a huge role last season but ended up being one of the final players to make the 53-man roster to open this season.
It’s like old times again, with Warner and Dre Greenlaw controlling the middle of the 49ers’ defense. The only question mark is how newcomer Jaden Dugger fits in alongside them, but his athletic 6-foot-5 frame makes him perfectly suited for the new “Fever” backer role.
4. Tight end
If all the 49ers had to worry about was past performance, they wouldn’t have anything to worry about at all with George Kittle. He and Purdy have formed the most dynamic QB-tight end connection in NFL history, going by expected points added per play.
But there’s a new wrinkle, and that’s how Kittle’s Achilles tendon holds up only nine months after rupturing it in their wild-card win over the Eagles on Jan. 11. It’s remarkable how quickly Kittle was able to put himself in position to play, but it remains to be seen how his body responds once he returns to the field.
Behind Kittle, the 49ers knew they had a pair of capable blockers in Luke Farrell and Jake Tonges, but both have been active in the passing game in practices during training camp.
5. Offensive line
At 38 years old, Trent Williams is still one of the NFL’s best left tackles.
That’s good news because he will probably be asked to pick up the slack of whoever lines up next to him at probably the Niners’ wobbliest position on the roster. Whether it’s rookie Carver Willis or second-year incumbent Connor Colby, whoever winds up starting at left guard will be glad to have a future Hall of Famer on their side of the offensive line.
One indication of how position groups are viewed internally is how much machination there is on cutdown day, and it didn’t go unnoticed that the 49ers were willing to part with draft capital — albeit a seventh-round pick — to solidify the interior with Jarrett Patterson from the Texans.
6. Wide receiver
It’s very possible that neither of the two players who haul in the most passes from Purdy actually play wide receiver, especially after Ricky Pearsall’s season-ending PCL operation.
Top pick De’Zhaun Stribling looks poised to be unusually involved for a rookie, but besides that it will be a patchwork operation each week depending on the injury report, between Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel and Christian Kirk, who’s already on injured reserve.
7. Secondary
Malik Mustapha was expected to seize the starting role next to safety Ji’Ayir Brown, but a hamstring injury kept him out for most of training camp. Likewise, Renardo Green, expected to start opposite Deommodore Lenoir at cornerback, didn’t participate in the 49ers’ last practice before leaving for Australia.
8. Defensive line
Credit to James Thompson Jr. for putting together an impressive preseason, but it’s no coincidence that the only undrafted free agent to make the team was a D-lineman.
Nick Bosa still hasn’t played since his second ACL surgery, Mykel Williams is out until at least Week 5 and the 49ers’ depth in the trenches took another blow when Sam Okuayinonu injured his foot at practice Wednesday and was placed on injured reserve.
They were forced to sign Khalid Kareem off the Falcons’ practice squad and arrange his own travel from Atlanta to Melbourne, Australia, for the season opener.
After finishing last in the NFL with 20 sacks last season, is a clean bill of health for Bosa and an $80 million investment in Osa Odighizuwa enough to fix the problem?
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