San Francisco

49ers

The buzz continues to build around McCaffrey, who battled through bilateral Achilles tendinitis last season and was limited to just four games after suffering a PCL sprain in Week 13. McCaffrey, 29, totaled just 348 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown last season, but totaled 2,023 yards and 21 touchdowns in 2023. Assuming he stays healthy this season, McCaffrey has the chance to be poised for another big season. The veteran running back has averaged 22.1 PPR points per game in 31 games with the 49ers since being traded to them midway through the 2022 season. He’s still a three-down threat who possesses elite pass-catching upside, and could see a workload similar to 2023, when he led the league with 339 touches. As McCaffrey’s ADP continues to creep higher into the first round, it sounds like there is little reason to fade him at this point in time.

Maiocco said Aiyuk is doing well in his ACL and MCL injury recovery, saying the knee is ahead of schedule. However, the 49ers “want to be extra cautious with him” and “the feeling inside the organization has always been don’t take any chances.” Maiocco expects Aiyuk to be placed on the PUP list when veterans report to training camp on July 22 and to remain on the PUP list when the regular season begins. Returning in Week 5 or Week 6 is “quite possible” and Maiocco believes Aiyuk will get up to speed quickly.

Robinson was ordered to pay a $390 fine and to complete court-mandated programs, including a three-month alcohol education program. He was arrested in November 2024 after being observed by police officers driving more than 100 MPH. The arrest occurred while Robinson was a member of the Rams. Robinson could still be suspended by the league, but the commissioner’s office hasn’t taken any action yet. The 49ers reportedly knew that a suspension was possible when they signed him this offseason.

ESPN’s Nick Wagoner detailed Jones’ three-week offseason onboarding process, which transpired after the 26-year-old quarterback signed a two-year, $7 million contract in March. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, Kubiak and QB coach Mick Lombardi spent the duration breaking down cutups of Jones’ previous film and showing Jones a need to focus on things like the footwork needed to succeed in the offense. Learning and executing the basics of Shanahan’s famed offense is key. Per Wagoner, watching Darnold rewire himself appealed to Jones, who also wants to “rebuild from the ground up, starting with his confidence.” Jones won’t challenged Brock Purdy for a starting job, but he could make good on Kubiak’s starter comments elsewhere come 2027.

The cause for the arrest varies between sources. Members of the Los Angeles Police Department reportedly stopped a group of people, which included Lenoir, and observed a visible firearm located inside a parked car. The reason for the initial stop is unclear. Officers asked for the car keys, at which point an unidentified individual passed them to Lenoir, who passed them to another individual shortly after that, apparently rejecting the officers’ request. Lenoir was then arrested and booked before being released.

Per 49ers.com, Hampton was voted the “analytics person most likely to become a general manager” in a 2024 NFL-wide survey. Hampton joined the 49ers front office in 2003 as a football operations intern and held the director of football administration and analytics role from 2010-2019. In 2017, he served as a member of the committee that hired head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch. The 49ers also promoted RJ Gillen to assistant general manager, Tariq Ahmad to vice president of player personnel and Matt Ploenzke to vice president of football research and development.

The Athletic’s Matt Barrows believes “Watkins stood out in the spring the way [Ricky] Pearsall did a year ago.” Watkins was reportedly a regular part of the receiver rotation and took a number of snaps with the first-team group. He is fast and fluid, and “doesn’t break stride when catching the ball, which makes him an asset on the crossing routes that are such a big part of Shanahan’s offense.” Watkins is a long shot to make an impact in 2024 re-draft leagues, but dynasty managers looking for upside stashes could do worse.

After polling coaches, Barrows also noted a theme, indicating “no one took better advantage of the offseason than Cowing.” The 49ers were taking advantage of his speed as a downfield threat this spring, and Barrows suggests Cowing “can run a lot of the gadget plays that went to Deebo Samuel in previous years.” A series of unfortunate events may have to occur for Cowing to climb past the No. 6 spot in the 49ers’ passing game pecking order, but it’s good for his odds of being the player that can step up in case of injury that he’s drawing this kind of praise.

McCaffrey has also participated in every phase of organized team activities. All signs out of San Francisco have pointed to McCaffrey being perfectly healthy after missing most of the 2024 season with bilateral Achilles tendinitis and eventually a season-ending PCL sprain. 49ers OC Klay Kubiak told reporters he plans on giving CMC the ball “as much as we can” this year and Kyle Shanahan has been similarly optimistic. The last time we saw a healthy McCaffrey, he broke fantasy with 2,023 yards from scrimmage and 21 touchdowns. The positive buzz has McCaffrey moving up early fantasy boards in a hurry. He will likely end the summer in the top half of the first round.

NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco reports that Shanahan said Jennings (calf) and Pearsall (hamstring) will be out for minicamp, but should be ready for training camp. Jennings ascended to the team’s WR1 option with Brandon Aiyuk out, totaling a career-best 77/975/6. Meanwhile, Pearsall dealt with injuries as a first-round rookie last season, tallying a 31/400/3 line in 11 games. With Aiyuk (ACL/MCL) out for at least the beginning of the season, the 49ers will need production from these next two wideouts on the depth chart. Shanahan also mentioned rookie EDGE Mykel Williams (hamstring) will miss minicamp and return for training camp.