The Biggest Burning Question Facing the 49ers this Year

The 49ers have so many questions they must answer this offseason.

May 9, 2025; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, right, watches the action during the teamís rookie minicamp. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

The 49ers have so many questions they must answer this offseason.

Lots of them involve their offense. Will Christian McCaffrey stay healthy? What about Trent Williams? When will Brandon Aiyuk return from a knee injury? Will Brock Purdy bounce back from a disappointing 2024 season?

But the biggest burning question has to do with the revamped defense according to CBS Sports.

"The 49ers have seen a ton of turnover this offseason on the defensive side of the ball, from the coaching staff to the personnel," writes CBS Sports' Jared Dubin. "Defensive coordinator Nick Sorenson was swapped out for former Jets head coach (and former Niners defensive coordinator) Robert Saleh, whose defenses showed improvement with each passing season that he was in San Francisco.

"But the Niners also just have an absolute ton of new players on that side of the ball. Stalwarts like Dre Greenlaw, Talanoa Hufanga and Charvarius Ward all moved on in free agency, and the Niners added players like Tre Brown, Richie Grant and Jason Pinnock in free agency, Bryce Huff via trade, and Mykel Williams, Alfred Collins, Nick Martin and CJ West in the draft.

"That is a lot of change in one unit, but after the Niners finished 22nd in EPA per play allowed a year ago, it was probably necessary. Still, it could take some time for the defense to come together, and with an early season schedule that includes three division games in the first five weeks, that could make things pretty interesting."

It's not a given that all the new pieces on the 49ers defense will come together right away. But with Robert Saleh overseeing the operation, I'm confident the defense will be much improved from last season.

The defensive line should be better with the additions of Mykel Williams and Bryce Huff. And the linebackers should be better now that De'Vondre Campbell is gone. But the secondary could be an issue at first. Renardo Green is struggling in OTAs and Malik Mustapha could miss the first few games with a torn ACL. We'll see how long it takes Saleh to get that group up to speed.