Aug 23, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa (97) walks of the field after the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

3 biggest concerns for the 49ers stemming from preseason

Originally posted on San Francisco 49ers on SI
By Parker Hurley | Last updated Aug 24, 2025 8:00 PM ET

The preseason is all about finding out where your strengths and weaknesses are. Then, you can lean on your strengths and work on your weaknesses throughout the regular season. The San Francisco 49ers have plenty of strengths to lean on, but there were a few major concerns that popped up since the team arrived at training camp.

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Too many injuries

The team entered training camp with a few lingering injuries from last season. What we learned is that those concerns are just the tip of the iceberg. Every day, the team suffered new injuries, and a few positions had players in and out of the door consistently.

The list of wide receiver injuries is too long to list, and it has the team looking at Robbie Chosen and Skyy Moore as legitimate week one options.

Both guards have been banged up, every backup running back has been injured, they have shuffled at safety due to inconsistent health, and every day they have a new depth interior defensive lineman. Is this going to be an issue all season, and how many injuries can they take into week one while still being expected to win?

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Lack of a youth movement

The 49ers are leaning heavily on their last two draft classes as they try to get into a good cap position with the Brock Purdy contract now hitting the roster. However, the players they are leaning on to make those steps are not quite there yet.

Of course, Malik Mustapha has been hurt, but both Renardo Green and Dominick Puni suffered injuries. Green has been up and down this summer, and Puni will likely miss Week 1. The team had to trade future picks because they do not trust Isaac Guerendo, and Jacob Cowing is hurt.

Mykel Williams and Upton Stout are supposed to start but have not participated in practice in weeks. Alfred Collins has been a disappointment in training camp, and Nick Martin has been up and down. When you add injuries to Jordan James and Jordan Watkins, this clearly is not going the way that they planned.

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Jake Moody

The San Francisco 49ers need Jake Moody to be better. After a poor 2024 season, the team was supposed to have a kicker competition. Injuries did not allow them to have the extra roster spot, so the competition was short-lived. In the preseason, Moody missed an extra point. Reports are that he has not been great in training camp. This is going to be a serious issue that could cost them games. They did not do enough to fix it.

This article first appeared on San Francisco 49ers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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