The San Francisco 49ers will open training camp in late July, and a couple of weeks later begin their preseason slate where the team’s decision-making on roster spots and their depth chart will begin in earnest.
Before camp begins, we wanted to take a shot at projecting the team’s starting offense for the 2026 season. San Francisco runs a lot of 21 personnel with two running backs and one tight end on the field, so we included who the starters would be in 21, and in 11 personnel where the club has one RB, one TE and three wide receivers.
With no camp to work off of, this is what we think the 49ers’ starting offense will be when they take the field Week 1 vs. the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia:
Quarterback: Brock Purdy
No surprise here. Mac Jones is perhaps the most capable backup in the NFL, but Purdy is QB1 barring injury.
Running back: Christian McCaffrey
The bigger question at running back is how much McCaffrey’s backup will play when McCaffrey is available. San Francisco needs to find out who they want backing up McCaffrey, but the veteran is still firmly entrenched as the starter.
Fullback: Kyle Juszczyk
When the 49ers are in 21 personnel, Juszczyk will be the guy. It’ll be interesting to see how the 49ers move forward in the post-Juszczyk era.
Tight end: George Kittle
Let’s pencil in Kittle for now since there’s still optimism for his availability early in the season. If Kittle isn’t the Week 1 starter, expect Jake Tonges to take a large portion of the Kittle role.
Wide receiver: Mike Evans
Having Evans, a surefire Hall of Famer, atop the depth chart gives the 49ers’ receiving corps a level of cachet it’s never had under Kyle Shanahan. They’ve had really good players at receiver, but none quite like Evans who should fit in as a favorite target for Purdy early in his tenure.
Wide receiver: Ricky Pearsall
When the 49ers have two receivers on the field it’s likely Pearsall will be the guy alongside Evans. Health is a major question mark with Pearsall. There’s no doubt he’s productive when he does play, though. If he’s healthy he’s one of the 49ers’ two best receivers.
Wide receiver: De’Zhaun Stribling
Let’s pencil in the rookie second-round pick here. There’ll be a ton of competition for this job, but Stribling’s ability to block and stretch the field vertically should give him the inside track to getting early snaps when the team goes to three receivers. Christian Kirk, Demarcus Robinson and Jordan Watkins should also get looks at this position.
Left tackle: Trent Williams
Duh.
Left guard: Robert Jones
There should be a substantial battle for the starting left guard job. We’ll give it to the veteran Jones for now, but free agent addition Brett Toth, Connor Colby and rookie Carver Willis will all be in the mix. This battle may go down to the wire.
Center: Jake Brendel
San Francisco could probably upgrade from Brendel, but they didn’t make any big swings to replace him this offseason so we can jot him down as their starter again in 2026.
Right guard: Dominick Puni
This is a big season for Puni. He was excellent in his rookie season, but last year a knee injury early in the year caused him to struggle out of the gate and he never found his footing. He’s still a surefire starter at right guard. A strong third season could earn him a rare extension for an interior offensive lineman with the 49ers.
Right tackle: Colton McKivitz
McKivitz has become at the very least a league average offensive tackle, and on more plays than not he’s better than that. He’s not a player to circle as a long-term option at LT after Williams retires. He is a player to circle as a long-term option at RT for San Francisco.
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Projecting the San Francisco 49ers’ starting offense in 2026
Reporting by Kyle Madson, Niners Wire / Niners Wire
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By Kyle Madson, Niners Wire | USA TODAY Network
