Possible twist emerges in the 49ers’ search for their next defensive coordinator (paywall)
“Schwartz, 59, was “visibly upset … and told other coaches he’s not coming back,” NFL Network reported, adding that the 49ers would be among the teams that would likely have interest if Schwartz can get out of the final year of his Browns’ contract.
It’s understandable that Schwartz’s possible availability could make Shanahan reconsider his replacement for Robert Saleh, who became the Titans head coach last
week. Shanahan is 2-8 as a head coach or offensive coordinator when he’s called plays against defenses run by Schwartz. Shanahan’s teams have averaged 16.8 points, 18.3 first downs and 312.6 yards in those games.“
49ers’ Fred Warner weighs in on electrical substation injury conspiracy
“”There’s a lot of mixed reviews about that,” Warner said. “I think, at the end of the day, when you look at the actual data behind if that’s real or not, I think it’s false. And I’ll be the first to tell you, because I train year-round at our facility. I’m not going to sit here and say that a substation was the reason why I got my ankle broken in half. That was a freak—that was a fluke injury, right?”
Warner added that he has largely avoided injuries throughout his career.
“But before that, I had missed one game,” Warner said. “I had one game missed due to a fluke hammy that I had, where I stepped wrong. And I’ve been super healthy for seven-plus years.”
“We have had a bunch of injuries since I’ve been here,” Warner said. “But a lot of it is because we have an older roster. We train harder than a lot of people in the NFL when it comes to how we practice and do all these other little things. It’s just a combination of all that. And it’s football at the end of the day. It’s 100% injury guarantee rate.”
Amon-Ra St. Brown added that his Detroit Lions also deal with frequent injuries and asked Warner whether the 49ers fully tackle in practice. Warner revealed they do not, unlike Lions head coach Dan Campbell, who requires it.
“No, we would never do that,” Warner said. “See, at some point, old Dan’s going to come to his senses, and be like, listen, this ain’t making nobody better, brother. We can still get our work in without bringing guys to the ground.”
49ers use first-round pick on ‘developmental prospect’ in 2026 NFL mock draft
“In his latest 2026 NFL mock draft for NFL.com, analyst Bucky Brooks projects the 49ers selecting Georgia offensive tackle Monroe Freeling with the No. 27 overall pick. Brooks views Freeling as a potential successor to Williams.
“At 37 years old, left tackle Trent Williams is nearing the end of a Hall of Fame career — which makes finding an eventual successor a top priority,” Brooks wrote. “Freeling is far from a polished product, but his physical tools and upside make him an intriguing developmental prospect.”
Freeling, who stands 6-foot-7 and weighs 315 pounds, would benefit from spending a season learning behind one of the greatest tackles of his generation. In 2025, he posted a career-best 85.7 pass-blocking grade, though his run-blocking lagged behind at 61.6. Over 469 pass-blocking snaps, Freeling allowed nine pressures and three sacks.“
Fred Warner: No doubt 49ers will win a Super Bowl with ‘elite’ Brock Purdy
“”He does everything elite, in my opinion,” Warner said. “I think, especially when he came back from his injury this year and he started to finally come into his own, and kind of get over a little bit of that foot, and get his mobility back, you really saw him come to life. And I think he played the best ball out of any quarterback in this league down the stretch.
“His ability to process and play the position, I think that’s truly what separates the goods from the greats in this league at that position, is the ability to process, because there’s so much going on in the mind of a quarterback from the pre-snap communication, pre-snap ID’ing the defense, making sure guys are lined up. And then, everything happening post-snap, of having to now dissect what the defense is doing to you, seeing and feeling the rush, and then having to deliver the ball perfectly to the spot.
“Or even having the ability to extend plays, Purdy does it with the best of them, and I’m happy he’s on my team. He’s definitely gonna get us a Bowl.”
