Inside 49ers’ Must-Watch Training Camp Battles originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The San Francisco 49ers are coming off a 6-11 season that failed to meet the team’s Super Bowl expectations from the season before. Last year was plagued by injury just as much as the disappointing results, so this offseason’s focus has been on rehabilitation and retainment of the franchise’s brightest stars.

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Quarterback Brock Purdy, tight end George Kittle, and linebacker Fred Warner each got new high-paying contracts. They won’t be in any competition at this year’s training camp, but some key performances could decide who lines up next to them come Week 1.

Take a look at the three key position battles this summer that have serious implications on the 49ers starting lineup.

Left Guard

Starting lineman Aaron Banks signed with the Green Bay Packers, leaving an opening next to tackle Trent Williams on the offensive line.

Pro Football Network names this spot as the most important competition of the offseason to solidify Purdy’s blindside. The Niners didn’t pick a guard until the seventh round of this year’s NFL Draft, leaving many to assume Kyle Shanahan is fine with promoting Ben Bartch up the depth chart to a starter.

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“Bartch only has 10 starts since 2022, though,” PFN noted. “In his lone year as a starter, he allowed three sacks and 24 pressures for Jacksonville in 2021. Spencer Burford started at guard for San Francisco in 2022 and 2023 before getting demoted last year.”

San Francisco might be moving Burford to the edge to back up Williams with last year’s second-string signing elsewhere in free agency.

Other members of the 49ers O-line were once backups before being awarded the starting job. The same fate could lie with Bartch if he rises to the occasion at camp.

Linebacker

Warner will need a running mate as versatile linebacker Dre Greenlaw signed a new contract with the Denver Broncos.

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This competition will come down to Dee Winters, a third-year player who saw 10 starts last season, and Nick Martin, an exciting and physical rookie.

Winters has a clear opportunity to step into a full-time role this season. The former sixth-round pick had 44 tackles and four pass deflections in 2024.

Martin, a four-year at Oklahoma State, dealt with injury last season, but profiles as a force to be reckoned with. In his last full year in 2023, Martin led the Big 12 with 83 tackles. He was one of San Francisco’s third-round picks this offseason.

Nickel Cornerback

The Niners defense saw another major free agency departure in cornerback Charvarius Ward. At the nickel cornerback position, there is expected to be a battle between Tre Brown and rookie Upton Stout to be Ward’s replacement.

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Brown comes to the 49ers after having spent four seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, however, that time didn’t yield much on-field experience. The former fourth-rounder has just 13 career starts.

Stout was picked No. 100 overall in the third round of the 2025 Draft out of Western Kentucky. The 5-9 prospect is an aggressive playmaker with an impressive reaction time and knack for forcing turnovers.

There isn’t a ton of experience here, which also pins the cornerback position as one most likely to see an addition via free agency or a trade if Shanahan and staff want to make it a larger competition pool.

The 49ers will host training camp at SAP Performance in Santa Clara. Rookies will report on July 15 and veterans will attend starting on July 22.

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Related: 49ers’ CB Search Should Include These 3 Free Agents

Related: Analysts Are Quickly Changing Their Minds About 49ers’ Season in 2025

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 5, 2025, where it first appeared.

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The San Francisco 49ers are coming off a challenging 2024 campaign, finishing last in the NFC West with a 6-11 record. The team hopes to prove that last season was an outlier, and not a sign that their days of fighting for championships are behind them.

Injuries played a significant role in the 49ers’ struggles. But with key players like Christian McCaffrey and Trent Williams returning healthy, and quarterback Brock Purdy locked in for the long haul, San Francisco heads into training camp with renewed optimism for a turnaround in 2025.

However, there are obstacles the 49ers must overcome—or avoid entirely—to find success this season and restore hope for another deep playoff run.

Avoiding the injury bug

Staying healthy will be critical to the 49ers’ success. Among the most important returns is Christian McCaffrey, who appeared in only four games last season between injured reserve stints due to Achilles tendinitis and a PCL injury.

McCaffrey’s tough season followed his 2023 NFL Offensive Player of the Year season, in which he amassed 2,023 scrimmage yards and 21 total touchdowns. Last year, however, he totaled just 348 scrimmage yards without a single touchdown, never resembling the Pro Bowl-level playmaker fans saw in previous years.

RELATED Christian McCaffrey is NFC West’s biggest X-factor

McCaffrey’s injury history could be seen as a red flag, but he was a full participant in the 49ers’ offseason program and looks determined to prove his doubters wrong in 2025.

Meanwhile, left tackle Trent Williams turns 37 this month. He missed the final seven games of 2024 with an ankle injury and has missed at least two games every season since joining the 49ers. Another extended absence from Williams would deal a significant blow to the offense, especially given the limited depth along the offensive line.

If either McCaffrey or Williams misses significant time again, the 49ers’ playoff hopes could quickly fade.

Offensive line depth

Once again, the 49ers opted not to heavily invest in their offensive line, using just one draft pick—a seventh-rounder to select guard Connor Colby—to bolster the group. San Francisco must identify a new starter at left guard following Aaron Banks’ free-agent departure. The rest of the starting lineup seems set with Colton McKivitz at right tackle, Dominick Puni at right guard, Jake Brendel at center, and Williams at left tackle.

However, there are a couple of spots where fans were likely hoping for offseason upgrades.

Purdy’s production dipped in 2024, partly due to injuries across the roster. A healthy, stable offensive line will be crucial for his success in 2025. But questions remain about whether the current depth is sufficient to withstand potential injuries to key starters—a concern not limited to the offensive line alone.

Defensive line shakeup

As part of preparing for Purdy’s new contract, the 49ers revamped an expensive veteran defensive line that struggled to stop the run or generate consistent pressure last season.

Gone are Javon Hargrave, Maliek Collins, and Leonard Floyd, replaced by more cost-effective rookies with high upside in Mykel Williams, Alfred Collins, and CJ West. This transition is a gamble that San Francisco hopes will pay dividends in the years ahead.

RELATED 49ers offseason: A high-stakes gamble on youth and a revamped defense

The biggest offseason addition, however, was the return of Robert Saleh as defensive coordinator. He’s tasked with restoring the defense’s fast and aggressive identity, but the rookies may need time to adjust, creating an obstacle early in the season.

To ease the transition, the 49ers traded for veteran pass rusher Bryce Huff to pair with All-Pro Nick Bosa.

Doubts surrounding Brock Purdy

Purdy still has plenty of skeptics who believe he benefits more from Kyle Shanahan’s offensive scheme and a talented supporting cast than his own abilities as a passer. His massive five-year, $265 million extension only intensified the scrutiny, with some questioning whether he’s worthy of an elite salary.

RELATED Former 49ers teammate fires back at Brock Purdy critics

In 2023, Purdy threw for a single-season franchise record 4,280 yards with 31 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. However, his numbers declined in 2024, and he struggled to carry the team through the adversity of an injury-riddled season.

Purdy’s performance will be under the microscope in 2025, as critics watch to see if he can post big numbers now that he’s one of the NFL’s highest-paid quarterbacks, or if the team’s roster changes prove too much for him to overcome.

Special teams inconsistencies

Special teams were a major issue for San Francisco in 2024, with kicker Jake Moody drawing heavy criticism. The 49ers responded by hiring Brant Boyer as the new special teams coordinator to replace Brian Schneider. Boyer proceeded to bring in a new long snapper and punter in Jon Weeks and Thomas Morstead, respectively.

Moody finished last season with 10 missed field goals and one missed extra point. Although, most of those came after he returned from a high-ankle sprain—perhaps prematurely.

Fans will be watching training camp and preseason closely as Moody competes with veteran Greg Joseph. The 49ers can’t afford more inconsistency at kicker if they hope to compete in a tight NFC West race.

The Chicago Bears are less than a month away from the start of training camp and the position battles that will help define them during the 2025 season.

First-year head coach Ben Johnson and his new coaching staff got their first chance to work with their players — both incoming and returning — during the spring’s offseason workout program, which included 10 days of OTAs and a three-day veteran minicamp.

Once camp begins, though, Johnson and his staff must be harsher in their evaluations as they start the process of figuring out which players on their 90-man offseason roster deserve a place on their initial 53-man roster heading into the 2025 regular season.

In preparation for veterans reporting on July 22, here is a look at three of the biggest roster battles that will take place for the Bears during this summer’s training camp:

1.) Left Tackle

Braxton Jones returns as the Bears’ presumptive starting left tackle for a fourth straight season, but he is coming off a season-ending ankle injury and subsequent surgery that Johnson said will most likely keep him limited to begin camp. Meanwhile, the Bears have second-round rookie Ozzy Trapilo looking to push Jones for his starting job after impressing his coaches during spring workouts. The 6-foot-8, 312-pound tackle gave up just two sacks on 710 pass-blocking snaps over his final two seasons at Boston College.

For now, Jones retains the edge with 40 career starts to his name, but don’t discount Trapilo’s ability to bump him to the bench if the former takes longer than expected to return to the field. The Bears will also have to figure out how 2024 third-round pick Kiran Amegadjie fits into the picture — and if they want to keep him at left tackle.

2.) Cornerback

The Bears have no reservations about their top two cornerbacks. Jaylon Johnson is the No. 1 starter on the boundary, while Kyler Gordon — who signed a three-year extension this offseason — is a rising star in the nickel role. The question now is: Who will line up opposite Johnson as the Bears’ other starting outside cornerback heading into 2025?

Tyrique Stevenson, a 2023 second-round pick, has largely held down the No. 2 spot in his first two seasons, but he had a tumultuous sophomore campaign in which he made several critical mistakes (such as the Hail Mary against Washington) and was briefly benched. Given what he showed in his first two seasons, the Bears have every reason in the world to keep the faith in Stevenson, but he will face competition from fellow third-year Terell Smith and fifth-round rookie Zah Frazier for his starting job ahead of Year 3.

3.) Linebacker

The Bears have no plans to drastically shake up their linebacker corps in 2025 under new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, especially after they signed veteran starter T.J. Edwards to a two-year contract extension in the offseason. That said, they decided not to bring back strong-side linebacker Jack Sanborn as a restricted free agent and must now figure out who will succeed him as their third linebacker in the lineup in 2025.

Fortunately, the Bears have Noah Sewell — a 2023 fifth-rounder — waiting in the wings after spending his first two seasons primarily as a special-teams contributor. They also took a risky gamble on speedy former Maryland standout Ruben Hyppolite II, drafting him in the fourth round to the shock of analysts. Between them and returning veteran Amen Ogbongbemiga, the Bears should have good competition for the third role.

The San Francisco 49ers will field a dramatically different roster in 2025, with the most noticeable changes on the defensive side of the ball. Several veteran contributors were let go as the team looked to slash future spending in anticipation of quarterback Brock Purdy’s new contract. That meant shifting their roster-building strategy, relying more heavily on the NFL Draft than in previous years.

The 49ers made 11 draft picks this year, including six defensive selections in their first five picks. The defensive front has undergone a significant overhaul, with rookies Mykel Williams, Alfred Collins, and CJ West joining All-Pro Nick Bosa and newly acquired pass rusher Bryce Huff.

If these young players can contribute early, the moves will appear to be a brilliant, calculated risk. But if they struggle, it could spell trouble for a team that finished 6-11 last season and is desperate to rebound.

Robert Saleh’s return

The most significant move of the offseason was the return of defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, who will be tasked with restoring the defense’s identity of speed and physicality after the unit struggled to consistently stop the run and pressure opposing quarterbacks in 2024.

“He’s really good at his job,” tight end George Kittle said last month, “and I’m really excited that we somehow convinced him to be our defensive coordinator again, because he knows what he’s talking about, he’s inspiring, he gets the boys fired up, and he just happens to also be really, really smart.

“So, I’m pumped to have him back in the building, just hanging out with him a little bit, talking about stuff. You can just tell he’s ready to roll this year, and he’s gonna get the boys fired up.”

Fans are eager to see if Saleh can maximize the potential of the new defensive additions and replicate the success he previously enjoyed in San Francisco. His presence alone should provide a significant boost.

Impact on the Super Bowl window

Kittle likes to remind everyone that closing a Super Bowl window can be kicked back open. So, declaring the 49ers finished might be premature.

“I would say we have pretty lofty expectations,” Kittle said last month. “We always do.”

Kittle acknowledged the significance of losing key players like Deebo Samuel, Talanoa Hufanga, Dre Greenlaw, and Charvarius Ward. Still, he remains optimistic about the team’s offseason moves.

“We lost some guys, and that is obvious,” Kittle said. “We’re aware of that. But I feel like, in the way we signed guys in free agency, the way that we drafted, we targeted those holes that we lost. I’m not going to say we’re going to replace All-Pro players, Pro Bowl players immediately, but I think we drafted really, really well.”

The 49ers aim to prove that last season’s struggles were an outlier and that their championship window remains open. They view the offseason as a retooling rather than a rebuild, and with the NFL’s easiest schedule in 2025, they’re confident about returning to playoff contention.

Training camp position battles

The roster shakeup has created several intriguing training camp competitions. The 49ers are eager for their young players to step up and seize key roles, particularly in the secondary, where battles like the one for the third cornerback spot will be closely watched. Another critical need is finding a reliable partner for All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner to replace Greenlaw.

The defensive line will also be a focal point, with rookies Collins and West expected to contribute immediately along the interior. As for the edges, the team invested heavily in the pass rush, selecting Williams with their top draft pick and trading for Huff to help Bosa generate pressure.

On offense, the 49ers must identify a new left guard following Aaron Banks’ departure, and with Jaylon Moore gone, they need to find a new swing tackle in case the soon-to-be 37-year-old Trent Williams misses anymore time.

Too many losses to overcome—or a step forward?

While the 49ers believe their moves have positioned them for long-term success, some wonder if the offseason departures will prove too costly in the short term. Did San Francisco improve by shedding expensive veterans and investing in younger, cheaper talent, or will the team’s inexperience lead to another disappointing season?

The 49ers’ ability to quickly overcome growing pains and lean on their depth could determine whether they return to the playoffs in 2025—and set themselves up for sustained success in the years ahead.

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The San Francisco 49ers enter training camp with far less drama than in recent years. Quarterback Brock Purdy signed a lucrative extension, making him one of the NFL’s highest-paid players, while tight end George Kittle and linebacker Fred Warner also secured their futures with the team through new deals.

Instead of following tense contract negotiations, 49ers fans can focus on the intriguing training camp battles at several key positions. With rookies reporting in two weeks and veterans arriving a week later, here’s a look at six critical (non-kicker—as that one is a given) competitions to watch as training camp quickly approaches.

Safety

The 49ers’ secondary faces plenty of questions following Talanoa Hufanga’s departure to the Denver Broncos in free agency. Compounding the issue, promising safety Malik Mustapha suffered an ACL injury during the season finale against the Arizona Cardinals, leaving the team thin at the position.

Currently, Jason Pinnock, a low-key offseason signing, and second-year safety Ji’Ayir Brown appear to be the frontrunners to start in Week 1.

The team also drafted Marques Sigle in the fifth round, who will compete with Richie Grant, Jaylen Mahoney, and others for backup roles.

There is also speculation that the 49ers could look outside the organization for additional help, especially with Mustapha’s recovery expected to extend into the regular season.

Linebacker

Fred Warner’s starting spot is secure, with the All-Pro continuing to perform at an elite level, even doing so last season while playing through a painful ankle fracture for most of the season.

However, with Dre Greenlaw no longer on the roster, the 49ers must find a new starter alongside Warner. The team remains high on Dee Winters, a 2023 sixth-round pick, but also invested a third-round selection this year in Nick Martin, who is expected to push for the weakside linebacker job.

Warner has been impressed with the rookie.

“I’ve seen the athletic ability flash already on the field, and the way that he closes,” Warner said. “[He] closes space really quickly, and he already has the great mindset of wanting to learn. So, I’m really happy with where he’s at.”

Others, such as Curtis Robinson, Jalen Graham, and Tatum Bethune, will be in the mix for depth and special teams roles.

Cornerback

Deommodore Lenoir and rookie Renardo Green are expected to start at cornerback when the 49ers open the season against the Seattle Seahawks on September 7. However, the crucial third cornerback role remains up for grabs.

Third-round pick Upton Stout and newcomer Tre Brown are leading candidates to compete for snaps. Meanwhile, there has been considerable speculation surrounding whether the 49ers will bring in outside help before the start of the season.

Top free agents still on the market include Asante Samuel Jr., Rasul Douglas, and Mike Hilton, each of whom could strengthen the unit if defensive coordinator Robert Saleh envisions a fit.

Hilton, in particular, is an intriguing option given his strong run defense, which could allow the 49ers to keep Lenoir focused on patrolling the perimeter.

Defensive tackle

With Javon Hargrave and Maliek Collins departing this offseason, the 49ers revamped their defensive interior by drafting Alfred Collins in the second round and CJ West in the fourth. Both rookies are expected to compete for immediate playing time and are seen as potential long-term anchors of the defensive front.

Veterans Jordan Elliott and Kevin Givens shouldn’t be overlooked, as they provide valuable experience and depth to the group.

After struggling to stop the run last season, the 49ers will hope Collins and West can help reverse that trend. Collins posted an impressive 85.1 run-defense grade from Pro Football Focus in his final season at Texas, while West recorded an even higher 88.1 grade.

Defensive end

The 49ers’ defensive line overhaul also included moving on from Leonard Floyd. To replace his production, they selected Mykel Williams with their first pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and acquired Bryce Huff via a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles. Both are expected to assist All-Pro Nick Bosa on the edges.

“He was one of the guys that I liked to really watch when he was with the Jets,” Bosa said of Huff. “And obviously, it didn’t work out with the Eagles, but you take a guy who’s playing a four-down-attack front, and then you put him in as an outside backer, it’s not always gonna work out so great.

“He’s really elite at a certain thing, so we’re gonna use him that way, and I’m excited to see it.”

The team also retained Yetur Gross-Matos and still sees potential in Robert Beal Jr., a 2023 fifth-round pick. Defensive line coach Kris Kocurek will once again be tasked with unlocking the group’s potential after a season where the pass rush struggled to generate consistent pressure.

Left guard (Bonus: swing tackle)

If left tackle Trent Williams misses significant time again this season, the 49ers’ offense could be in serious trouble. Already viewed as an underwhelming unit, the offensive line lost starting left guard Aaron Banks and versatile swing tackle Jaylon Moore to free agency, creating two key battles to watch during camp.

Ben Bartch appears to be the early favorite to replace Banks, but Nick Zakelj and rookie Connor Colby, a seventh-round pick, will attempt to push for the role.

Dominick Puni is set to start at right guard, while Colton McKivitz and Jake Brendel are expected to reprise their roles at right tackle and center, respectively. That leaves left guard and swing tackle as the top positions in the offensive line competition spotlight.