The San Francisco 49ers brought in several players this offseason with the hopes of making it back to the Super Bowl for the third time under Kyle Shanahan, but they want to win it this time.
Among those additions were Mike Evans and Christian Kirk in free agency, Osa Odighizuwa in a trade and eight rookies in the first five rounds of the 2026 NFL draft.
While there’s a lot of hope that the 49ers will be a better team than they were last year, there’s a chance that some of their biggest weaknesses still shine through this year. In fact, CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan recently identified the worst-case scenario for San Francisco in 2026.
“The Niners’ pass rush continues to struggle even with standouts like Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams back healthy,” Sullivan said. “Mike Evans doesn’t make the impact San Francisco hoped for in the receiver room, which lowers the ceiling of the offense as a whole. The 49ers again find themselves behind both the Seahawks and Rams in the NFC West, wondering whether this core will ever get over the hump.”
San Francisco finished third in the division last year and still made the playoffs, but it’s unlikely that the NFC West will have three playoff teams again. They could finish right in the middle of the league, which may be worse than finishing near the bottom and getting a top pick in the 2027 draft.
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: NFL writer reveals worst-case scenario for 49ers in 2026
Reporting by Mike Masala, Niners Wire / Niners Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Mike Masala, Niners Wire | USA TODAY Network
