It will take more than the casual fan to identify the San Francisco 49ers by anything but their uniforms when they take the field at Levi’s Stadium for the first time in 2026.
There will be no Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle or Nick Bosa, who count among the 20-plus players dealing with injuries of some form or another. It will be another week, at least, before Brock Purdy needs to put his helmet on. For QB1, like most of the Niners’ healthy starters, the most important reps against outside competition came in Tuesday’s joint practice.
Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers runs the ball against Devon Witherspoon of the Seattle Seahawks during the second quarter of the NFC Divisional Playoff game at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington, on Saturday, January 17, 2026. (Getty Images North America) Getty Images
The most recognizable participants in the preseason opener, set to kick off against the Tennessee Titans at 6 p.m. Thursday, will roam the sidelines: Coaches Kyle Shanahan, almost exactly a month since his Tesla swerved into an oncoming Mercedes, and Robert Saleh, making his return to the stadium where he served two stints as a defensive coordinator.
Nevertheless, large men in pads will deliver violent hits in front of roaring fans. Tailgaters will toast, grill, and drink in the parking lot. And we just might learn something about the team the 49ers hope to be when they open the regular season a month from now down under.
Here are five things to watch in the 49ers’ first of three preseason games:
Playing time
Rookies and reserves will take center stage for the aging, injured Niners, who aren’t expected to play many starters, even healthy ones such as Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw.
Probably with some understanding that they wouldn’t be unleashing much fury Thursday, San Francisco’s veterans brought a gameday-like intensity to Tuesday’s joint practice, even laying down a few full-blown hits that resulted in a half dozen scrums and a couple players tossed out.
Warner spent much of the session jawing with Titans quarterback Cam Ward, who will have to find a different foe to go back and forth with Thursday night. The Titans plan to play the entirety of their youthful roster; Shanahan said few San Francisco starters are expected to see action.
“That doesn’t mean none,” he said. “But we’ve got to balance that out.”
Rookie watch
The way the depth charts shake out should give Shanahan and general manager John Lynch a good opportunity to see how the 15 rookies in camp hold up against live competition.
De’Zhaun Stribling (second round, No. 33) has taken advantage of Christian Kirk’s absence early in camp and stood out with his combination of size and strong hands. Romello Height’s (third round, No. 70) speed off the edge has come as advertised. And Jaden Duggar (fifth round, No. 154) has thrived in a newly created hybrid edge/linebacker role.
Position battles
Another first-year player is locked in training camp’s most undecided position battle that should gain some real clarity through this particular matchup.
At left guard, Connor Colby seems to have ceded his incumbent status and has started taking reps at both interior offensive line spots with the second and third teams. So far, veteran Robert Jones has taken advantage, but according to Shanahan, “it’s open for anybody.”
Defensive Coordinator Robert Saleh and Head Coach Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers are seen before a game against the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Saturday, January 3, 2026. The Seahawks defeated the 49ers 13-3. (Getty Images North America) Getty Images
That includes Carver Willis (fourth round, No. 127), who was knocked out by a concussion but recently returned to practice. He’ll be put to the test by Titans defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons, an AP first-team All-Pro who racked up 11 sacks while feasting on interior linemen last year.
The other top battle in camp came to an apparent end Wednesday, when San Francisco waived undrafted free agent punter Jack Bouwmeester. The move sets up Corliss Waitman to get the job opened when the 49ers decided to move on from 39-year-old Thomas Morestead after last season.
Waitman, 31, was brought in as a free agent after serving as the Steelers’ punter the past two seasons. He’ll show off his leg in a Niners uniform for the first time Thursday night.
Debuting a new defense
Raheem Morris has breathed new life into Saleh’s former defense with disguised looks, five-man fronts and press coverage from a cornerback group that Warner called the best he’s been around in his nine seasons in the league.
Their former defensive coordinator will get a first-row seat to the changes Morris has made to the group he oversaw from 2017-20 and 2025. It remains to be seen how much he will put on display in the first game of the preseason, but the scheme has drawn rave reviews so far in practice. Some players have even voiced the opinion that Saleh’s departure was welcome.
Awkward.
“I do think in this league with the way people know how to attack schemes and stuff, you don’t always have better players than the people you’re going against. When that does happen, you’ve got to change schemes up,” Shanahan said. “We want the option to do both. Raheem has that experience. I don’t look at it as we’re going to be totally different, but I love that we have the ability to be different.”
San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, left, and head coach Kyle Shanahan watch the team warm up before a game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on Sunday, November 16, 2025, in Glendale, Arizona. (Getty Images North America) Getty Images
Kyle Shanahan’s concussion
Shanahan has steadily ramped up his involvement since camp opened with the revelation that he had been seriously injured in a gnarly car accident. On Tuesday, he traded in one of the last remnants of the crash, a white cast on his left hand, for a soft black brace, and was on the field in a hands-on capacity for the entirety of the approximately two-hour joint practice.
The only effects of the severe concussion that held him back in camp that still linger are fatigue and headaches, Shanahan said, but some days are still better than others.
It’s impossible to predict how Shanahan will respond when he returns to the sidelines for the first time Thursday night. But it will go a long way to understanding what still needs to be done for him to be ready to fly 16 hours across the globe to open the season next month.
“I was messed up,” he said, “and I’m getting a lot better.”
