CBS Sports Projects the 49ers to Win Under 10 Games this Year

The 49ers seem extremely optimistic about the upcoming season.

They have the easiest schedule in the league on paper plus they recently extended three of their top players -- Fred Warner, George Kittle and Brock Purdy. For the most part, the team seems locked in.

And yet, CBS Sports projects the 49ers to win fewer than 10 games this season.

"The 49ers are in something of a transition season, with a ton of change on both sides of the ball and key pieces coming back from major injuries," writes CBS Sports' Jared Dubin. "Deebo Samuel is gone. It's hard to know what we'll get out of Christian McCaffrey or when we'll even see Brandon Aiyuk. A ton of the talent on defense has been swapped out, and the Niners will be counting on some young defensive linemen to play big roles alongside Nick Bosa up front.

"The star talent is still here. Bosa, McCaffrey, George Kittle, Fred Warner and coach Kyle Shanahan will have this team in contention for a playoff spot. It just feels like it's more of a 10-win team rather than the 12- or 13-win outfit that they ran out there in 2022 and 2023."

The addition of edge rusher Bryce Huff should help the defense, particularly early in the season when the rookies will be getting their feet underneath them.

But just like last season, the success of the team hinges on the health of McCaffrey, Williams and Aiyuk. And it's still unclear if any of those players will make a big impact this year.

The under seems like a wise projection.