5 Biggest Questions Facing 49ers Offense in 2026

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5 Biggest Questions Facing 49ers Offense in 2026

Originally posted on San Francisco 49ers on SI
By Parker Hurley | Last updated Sep 6, 2026 6:00 PM ET

With the San Francisco 49ers season about to kick off, what are the biggest questions on the offensive side of the ball?

San Francisco 49ers Biggest Offensive Questions Entering 2026

Does Mac Jones stay on the team?

If Brock Purdy is healthy and playing well, and second-year quarterback Kurtis Rourke is healthy and looks good in practice, Mac Jones will be expendable. He is a free agent after the year anyway, so if a team calls with a strong offer, they will have to listen. Injuries happen, and if they do, Jones could end up on a new team.

Who is the backup running back?

The 49ers are going to need to lean on their backup running back more in 2026 than they did in 2025. They drafted Jordan James and Kaelon Black in back-to-back seasons, but neither did anything in the preseason to prove they deserve to tote the ball 100 times or more over the course of the season. Who won the job, and do they get five to ten carries in Week 1?

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Who emerges at Wide receiver?

Mike Evans should be the number one, but he has been injured a lot over the past two years. Deebo Samuel should be the number two, but he was signed in training camp. Demarcus Robinson should be the number three in Week 1, but rookie De’Zhaun Stribling is already pounding down the door to beat him out for a spot.

Jordan Watkins had a good training camp as well. Who can emerge by the end of the year?

Does George Kittle still have the juice?

Kittle is not only returning from an Achilles injury. He had a serious leg injury that cost him a portion of the season before that. He is now 32 years old, coming off of multiple injuries, and while he is expected to be healthy, he might not be quite his old self when things kick off. Do we see the same old Kittle, or did the injury take away some of his juice?

Does the left guard hurt the team?

Carver Willis won the job by default more than he did with his play. Connor Colby became a right guard, and Robert Jones got cut, leaving the fourth-round rookie to start in Week 1. Does he hurt the team every week, or does he begin to grow into the role and become the clear starter in 2027 as well?

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

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