During this year’s NFL training camp, the San Francisco 49ers are already back in their midseason form with the injury bug.
Multiple key players have already suffered major injuries; for example, Ricky Pearsall is already out for the season.
Additionally, there are receivers Mike Evans, who has a strained quadriceps, and rookie De’Zhaun Stribling coming back after a hamstring setback, all while Head Coach Kyle Shanahan is recovering from a car accident.
Luckily for the 49ers, they have dealt with this kind of adversity many times. They know how to win games without some of their key players.
That being said, there are always players for San Francisco who step up when needed. These are the players this season that need to step up in a big way to succeed.
Deebo Samuel
Due to the massive injury outbreak specifically to the wide receiver room, the team needed to make some additions to fortify their roster. This was in case of injuries like this.
After Ricky Pearall announced he was having trouble with his lingering knee injury, the 49ers went and signed their former receiver Deebo Samuel to a one-year deal.
Last season, Samuel was with the Washington Commanders for only one season. He put up a total of 72 receptions, 727 yards, and five touchdowns.
But for Deebo, he is coming back to a team and an organization that he is already familiar with, having played six seasons for them.
Now the team is looking at him to be a leader both on the field and in the locker room more than ever.
With Pearsall out for the year and Evans and Stribling already showing inconsistency, the 49ers need someone they are already familiar with to step up in a big way. The hopeful outcome of Deebo’s return is some reminiscence of his 2021 season.
Brock Purdy
Since San Francisco’s main three wide receivers are already having injury troubles, there is uncertainty. They are questionable to stay healthy all year, giving Brock Purdy the perfect opportunity to step up and have a career year.
Not only are the wide receivers having trouble staying healthy this offseason, but two of the team’s younger running backs, Jordan James and rookie Kaelon Black, are also having health trouble. This leaves Christian McCaffrey all alone.
That being said, this is Purdy’s ideal moment to really show the team and the league as a whole that he doesn’t need an all-star-type roster to succeed. He can brush the “system quarterback” title away.
Last season, Purdy had a total of 2,167 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions while only playing nine games. This cannot happen again if the team wants to be successful.
As of now, the only primary targets Brock Purdy has that are ready to go by Week 1 are Deebo Samuel and Christian McCaffrey, with George Kittle joining later on. However, all these players also have injury history. This means Purdy needs to carry extra weight this season.
Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw
The longtime linebacker duo has been one of the most dominant and feared duos at the position for a very long time. They need to continue what they started after reuniting this offseason.
During the midst of the offseason, the 49ers decided to reunite with longtime linebacker Dre Greenlaw on March 12th. This was after he played just one season with the Denver Broncos.
On the flip side, Fred Warner has been a longtime captain of San Francisco and the standard for excellent linebacker play.
There are injuries on the defensive side as well, including Malik Mustapha and rookie Romello Height. There is also still concern about whether Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams will be back to full strength by the start of the season following their 2025 injuries. The play and leadership of the profound linebacker duo is all the more important.
PFF ranks Warner as the No. 1 linebacker in the league, with Greenlaw within the top 20 as the 19th-ranked linebacker, showing that these two players alone make a defense a top threat in the league.
The duo is already getting high praise from their new defensive coordinator, Raheem Morris, stating:
“You start to see that competitive spirit, particularly from my linebacker position with the two guys that lead there. It just kind of spreads throughout the defense, so it’s really fun to watch a player-led team do player-led things.”
https://Twitter.com/OurSf49ers/status/2081433464713433596?s=20
Moving Forward
Unfortunately for San Francisco, these kinds of injuries never seem to stop for the team and are forcing them to make the harder decisions in important moments in the season.
However, they have enough talent on their roster to cover for their teammates to keep this team afloat before key players return from injury.
But to still be successful in the hardest division in football, Kyle Shanahan and players like Deebo, Purdy, and the linebackers must step up in a major way for their team and the 49er faithful.
Leave a comment