What the 49ers Need to Add to their Offense this Offseason

The 49ers face a talent gap with several roster holes. Let’s start with an inventory of the roster and look at options.

QUARTERBACK

Brock Purdy has some development issues, I’ll have a player evaluation column later this week. At backup they have a decision to make on Mac Jones. Teams will give a draft pick for him, if it’s a 2nd they should take it. If it’s a third no reason to let him go, they can get a 3rd round comp pick after he leaves next year.

Prediction: Kyle Shanahan keeps Jones given Purdy’s injury history. If they deal Jones, then they’re sold on Kurtis Rourke’s potential to step in at backup.

RUNNING BACK

Christian McCaffrey has no guaranteed money left. The Niners can pick up the team option, negotiate an extension, or deal him. Shanahan’s decision is to pick scheme or team. The scheme benefits with McCaffrey as a receiving threat at running back, not slot receiver. The team benefits by getting a needed RB1 with fresh legs and speed that can catch the ball. This draft has a few.

Prediction: McCaffrey is extended with a raise and remains RB1. Shanahan unsurprisingly chooses scheme. McCaffrey comes off a franchise record in touches. NFL history shows backs coming of a high touch or high yard year either get hurt or have a down season. In addition, George Kittle injected life in the running game and he doesn’t return until later in the second half of the season, if then.

Should they draft a two-way running back early? Yes, I know the draft history, but yes. I like Nebraska’s Emmett Johnson. Will they no, Kyle’s gonna Kyle, he’s going to keep pressing the CMC easy button until Christian retires. Jordan James ran for 4.7 yards per carry in Seattle and looked good, but Shanahan is unlikely to rotate backs.

WIDE RECEIVER

Ricky Pearsall cannot be counted upon. With luck an off-season will help his PCL heal, but the concern remains that Pearsall is too fragile. When healthy he’s legit, but that simply doesn’t happen often enough. A receiver will have to be a first-round consideration, but the best fits for the offense are gone before the pick. If they want to draft a new WR1 they’d have to trade up into the mid-1st or down into the early to mid-2nd.

Prediction: They draft a wide receiver in the first or second, max third. They draft a second receiver later in the draft. They should let Jauan Jennings go. Some fans dream of trades for impact receivers like Justin Jefferson. Nope. Minnesota will make a play for Joe Burrow.

Some say trade for A.J. Brown, after their experience with Deebo and Aiyuk, I doubt the Niners dip a toe in the diva waters again. Brown is even more of a diva than the other two.

The Faithful want Alec Pierce in free agency, but so does the rest of the league. What’s the free agent budget? If it’s like last year, Pierce is not an option, if the Yorks are willing to open the vault that changes, we’ll see. Pierce would be a smart adddition but the money dictates.

USC’s Makai Lemon is a great fit but gone before the pick, they’d have to trade up for him. K.C. Concepcion, not worth a trade up imo. Zachariah Branch, if he falls to them he has to be a consideration in the first. Denzel Boston, big size contested catch guy, but limited route tree so Shanahan may pass.

I like Chris Brazzell II at Tennessee and Elijah Sarratt at Indiana, but they’re projected mid-2nd, the Niners would need to move around for them. My preference would be to maneuver into the 40s to get one of them. Brazzell is a speed, size, length receiver. Sarratt is an in-breaking route specialist excelling in the red zone, but he lacks ideal speed and would need to be paired with a burner.

TIGHT END

George Kittle may not come back until week 8-10 optimistically, and he’ll need another two or three weeks to get back to game shape. They’ll need a new two-way tight end. There’s one in the draft, Oregon’s Kenyon Sadiq, but he’s expected to be gone before the pick. Kyle Pitts in free agency, well sure, but Atlanta will try to keep him, and he’ll be in a leaguewide bidding war.

Prediction: There’s no easy answer here, they need another Day 3 draft find or an affordable veteran free agent. Jake Tonges is a restricted FA, so his market will be soft and the Niners are likely to keep him.

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN

Dec 22, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; San Francisco 49ers center Jake Brendel (64) leaves the field after the game agains — Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The Faithful will say the need is starting center, starting left guard, and left tackle of the future all with picks in the early rounds. Shanahan’s response, the hell you say. Chris Foerster’s response: I love me some Jake Brendel.

The most likely pick was Trevor Goosby of Texas given his speed, but he’s decided to stay in school. Caleb Lomu of Utah makes sense, but the Niners didn’t send a scout to BYU-Utah. Gennings Dunker is the best run blocker in the class, a tackle who is only a guard in the league. He may not be fast enough for Shanahan. Some point to Kadyn Proctor but Shanahan doesn’t draft mountains.

Prediction: This is a deep class at center and guard, I think the Niners will take one by the third. Those hoping for tackle, I’d be surprised if that happens any sooner than Day 3.

BIG PICTURE

Jan 17, 2026; Seattle, WA, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan on the sidelines against the Seattle Seahawks du — Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

Mike Macdonald owns Kyle Shanahan in part because the Seahawks are faster, bigger, and stronger. The Niners are old and slow, the offense is desperate for fast playmakers.

Beyond that, the Hawks are designed to take advantage of Shanahan and Purdy’s tendencies. Shanahan feasts on the weak link of a defense, two touchdowns against one of the league's worst safeties in Philly’s Reed Blankenship. The defenses that give Shanahan trouble are those with no weaknesses to pick on in the back seven, who take away in-breaking routes. Shanahan needs to go into the lab to come up with a counter.

Seattle concedes checkdowns and Purdy doesn’t take them. For years, he threw ill-advised picks and then said, “I have to do a better job of protecting the football,” and didn’t on the field. It took throwing three picks against Carolina for him to have a career-high seven throwaways in the next game. He needs a similar epiphany on checkdowns. He's proved he can adapt, I expect he will.

To beat Seattle in the playoffs, Shanahan and Purdy will need to evolve. Shanahan, John Lynch and the front office need to come up with a wish list on what it will take to beat this defense and go get it. Tall task, it probably takes more than one draft, that mission needs a big first step this off-season.