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The San Francisco 49ers rookies are a couple of days away from reporting to training camp. We are 11 days away from an open practice for fans. So today’s survey question is: which training camp battle are you looking forward to the most?
WR4
Mike Evans, Ricky Pearsall, and De’Zhaun
Stribling figure to be the usual suspects on offense this season. But there could be games where Christian Kirk, Jordan Watkins, or Jacob Cowing have a few splash plays. Or, to take it a step further, solidify themselves as a genuine threat, even if only for a short stretch.
WR4 can quickly turn into WR3 and somebody the offense relies on if any injury arises. So while one of these three might be in the shadows early on in the season, that could change by midseason.
Left guard
The position with the most unknowns is left guard. Connor Colby, Carver Willis, Brett Toth, and Robert Jones all have a realistic chance of winning the job. It won’t be easy for Willis as a rookie. Colby is a second-year pro who was played off the field last season. Jones has had one season as a starter since 2021 and is coming off a serious neck injury. Toth is undersized and probably better at center.
No answer would be surprising, which is what makes this the most intriguing battle and probably the most important.
Safety
There may not be much of a battle at all here. Then again, nobody expected Marques Sigle to be the Week 1 starter at safety last year. Raheem Morris watched a few OTA practices, and the 49ers went on to sign safety Ashtyn Davis. That was telling.
Whether it’s a veteran who isn’t on the roster yet or an undrafted free agent like Larry Worth III, a backup will have an opportunity to push Malik Mustapha and Ji’Ayir Brown for playing time. Well, maybe not the former, but after last season, neither job should be safe.
LB3
Far from a flashy position, but it’s been critical to this defense over the years. Nick Martin, Luke Gifford, and Jaden Dugger are likely the trio competing for the SAM linebacker spot.
They’ll have more opportunities under Morris with how he likes to walk linebackers down to the line of scrimmage. Gifford has the experience, but he was a nightmare in coverage last year. Opposing offenses hunted him whenever he was on the field.
The 49ers might want to see what they have in their third-round pick from a year ago, but Dugger’s length and versatility make him a better fit for the position— on paper, at least.
RB2
Another position where it might be one player one week, and the other guy the following week. We’re fully expecting Bobby Turner and Kyle Shanahan to ride the hot hand behind Christian McCaffrey.
49ers fans are convinced Kaelon Black will have more yards from scrimmage and win the job. I lean toward Jordan James for his down-to-down ability as a runner, while acknowledging Black is the higher draft pick and likely to get the first opportunity.
If McCaffrey is healthy, he’s unlikely to come off the field on passing downs. But you don’t want to run him into the ground. At this point, James might be a more natural runner, while Black is more of a change-of-pace back.
McCaffrey won’t see the field during the preseason —he shouldn’t—which means James and Black will have ample opportunities to prove they can be trusted once the games actually count.
