The 5 49ers who have regressed the most through the first 5 games

He's still the best player on the offense, and he hasn't missed a snap this season, which is impressive at his age. But he isn't anywhere near the player he was two seasons ago when the 49ers went to the Super Bowl.

In 2023, Williams was the second-highest-graded offensive lineman in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus, with a grade of 92.6. In 2024, his grade fell to 85.6. This year, it's 77.6. So there's a clear downward trend. And that's because he has given up five quarterback hits in 5 games. In 2023, he gave up 4 quarterback hits all season -- playoffs included.

2. Dominick Puni

Puni was the highest-graded rookie offensive line in the NFL last season, but his performance deteriorated as the season wore on. He admitted to hitting the rookie wall, but it seems the league also caught up to him.

Because five games into his second season, Puni is one of the worst starting guards in the NFL. He's a big reason the 49ers running game has been so anemic. You have to wonder if he's still bothered by the PCL injury that knocked him out of the preseason.

3. Dee Winters

Winters has been effective at stopping the run this season, but teams are beginning to pick on him in pass coverage. Through five games this season, Winters has given up 29 catches and 3 touchdowns -- both team highs. He's also giving up a passer rating of 116.3 when targeted.

Either the 49ers need to bench Winters on passing downs and replace him with Ji'Ayir Brown, or they need to bench Winters entirely and give rookie Nick Martin a shot. Because teams will keep going after Winters.

4. Christian McCaffrey

He's still a good player. He hasn't missed a game, and he's leading the NFL in touches and yards from scrimmage at 29 years old. That's shocking.

But, he's averaging a career-low 3.1 yards per carry. And his backup, Brian Robinson Jr., is averaging 4.0 yards per carry. So the issue with the running game is McCaffrey -- he doesn't have the burst that made him special a few years ago. That's why he's averaging just 1.2 yards per carry after contact.

5. Brock Purdy

To be fair, he has played through a serious toe injury in seven of the eight quarters he's been on the field this season. And he beat the Seahawks in Seattle, which is extremely impressive. And his one loss came to the Jaguars, who just beat the Chiefs. No shame in losing to them.

But Purdy has thrown four interceptions in two games. His interception percentage is a gargantuan 5.5, which is the same as Geno Smith's interception percentage. Those two have the highest interceptions by far of any starting quarterbacks in the NFL. And Smith is on the verge of getting benched.

Purdy's problem is that he's holding onto the ball too long. His average time to throw is 3.04 seconds -- third slowest in the league. Meanwhile, Mac Jones' average time to throw in the same offense is 2.69 -- tied for eighth-fastest in the league.

Purdy needs to play more like Jones.