How the 49ers Plan to Build on Their 2025 Special Teams Success

Still plenty of improvement.

Aug 9, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers special teams coordinator Brant Boyer watches the action in the first quarter against the Denver Broncos at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images | David Gonzales-Imagn Images

The San Francisco 49ers' special teams unit has a lot to improve on ahead of the 2026 season.

That's what special teams coordinator Brant Boyer says. Even though after finishing last in overall special teams EPA rankings in 2024, the 49ers made one of the league’s biggest turnarounds in 2025 by rising to second overall.

Their field-goal unit improved dramatically from 29th to ninth, while kickoff rankings climbed from 28th to 21st. The biggest leap came in kick returns, which surged from 31st to fifth. Punt returns also improved significantly from 23rd to ninth, although the punt unit slightly declined from 29th to 23rd overall.

Here's what Brant Boyer wants to see more of in 2026

May 9, 2025; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, left, confers with special teams coordinator Brant Boyer during the teamís rookie minicamp. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

“Well, like I said, I think there’s a lot of things that we did well. I think we’ve still got to continue to play smart. We didn’t commit a lot of penalties last year. I think we’ve got to continue that," shared Boyer to reporters on Thursday.

"We certainly want to shore up a lot of things that I didn’t like in the offseason here. I think that there’s a lot overall of, I wouldn’t say that I’m unhappy with last year at all.

"I thought that, like I said, the standard that we set and the overall buy-in of the entire team was awesome. You’ve got to hand it to the players. They did a hell of a job, and they busted their butts for us and did a great job.

"Like I said, our finish was not nearly good enough for the standard that we need here. And that’s going to be a big part of what we’re getting after them this offseason. And we’ve got to finish better, we’ve got to be more physical, we’ve got to tackle better.

"And you know, while we had a good season, decent season last year, it’s not nearly good enough for us to win a championship, and we need to help our team more. Period.”

Those are strong words, but encouraging ones nonetheless. There is always room for improvement, yet considering how impressive the unit was last season, there should be full confidence in Boyer continuing that forward momentum.

Originally brought in by Robert Saleh during his return as defensive coordinator in 2025, Boyer has remained despite Saleh’s one-season stint, which only further highlights the value San Francisco places on his impact within the organization.