Former 49ers safety makes bold prediction about Kyle Shanahan’s offense in 2026
“You have an All-Pro to the left (Evans) that demands double coverage,” Whitner said. “You have [TE] George Kittle—demands double coverage over the middle. You have to play the run with [RB] Christian McCaffrey, and he can catch the ball out of the backfield. He demands a linebacker, safety, or a corner on him.
“Then, you have [WR] Ricky Pearsall, who was the number three separator in the NFL last year. Who do you double?
You can’t double everybody….and that’s what Kyle Shanahan does better than any other coach,” Whitner continued. “He figures out who the matchup problem is, and then he’s going to figure out who your weakness is on defense, and he’s going to attack you. So, I think this will be the number one offense in the NFL this year.”
49ers roster preview: It’s now or never for Jacob Cowing
“Last offseason, Shanahan said Cowing “put in some of the most work that anyone did over the offseason.” This spring, Kyle said, “I was really excited how Jordan and Jake came back. You could tell they came back; it wasn’t just healthy. You could tell they’ve been putting work in. They’ve come here, to me, to play and work.”
If every 49ers player were to line up in the end zone and race to mid-field, my money would be on Cowing being the first to cross the 50. He has another gear, and you could see it in OTAs when he was behind the secondary multiple times….Cowing told reporters that he has addressed his injury issue and that it’s a thing of the past. But history isn’t on his side, and he’ll need to prove he can make it through a training camp before the 49ers can rely on him….
….Purdy’s intermediate attempts dipped to 21% last season. That, to me, is not a Purdy stat. That’s a 49ers receiver stat. You’re not going to design an offense that runs routes between 12 and 18 yards when your wideouts consist of Kendrick Bourne and Jauan Jennings.
The “swirl” routes were crossed out of the playbook because there were no vertical threats without Pearsall…last year, most cornerbacks were squatting on those routes without fear of a vertical threat.
You cannot do that with Cowing. And it’s not just stretching the field vertically. Cowing’s addition would allow the 49ers to use him on deep crossing routes where he can use his god-given ability to run away from cornerbacks.
That was on full display during OTAs. Cowing would be a couple of steps ahead of the defensive back, 15 yards down the field. Even if he is a decoy, it opens things up for the rest of the offense. And if the defense doesn’t respect it, Purdy can take full advantage.“
