Top storylines heading into 49ers minicamp

The San Francisco 49ers are set to kick off their mandatory minicamp on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week (June 10-11). Many teams will practice three consecutive days, but the 49ers normally practice two days and then hold a team-building activity, such as a cookout, on the third day.

The 49ers have had a busy offseason. It's been full of highs and lows, from bringing back defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and hiring special teams coordinator Brant Boyer, to losing some key free agents like Deebo Samuel, Charvarius Ward, and Dre Greenlaw. But the 49ers also had what looks to be a good draft and have recently added two more players—edge rusher Bryce Huff and wide receiver Malik Knowles.

So now that this portion of the offseason is about to come to a close, what are the top storylines heading into this week's minicamp and the training camp that will begin in late July? Let's take a look.

Can the wide receiver group hold up through the early weeks?

With Brandon Aiyuk likely missing part of the season, and Demarcus Robinson serving a multi-game suspension, can Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall hold the wide receiver group together until Aiyuk and Robinson return? Based on how they played down the stretch last season, I believe they can.

In the final four games of the 2025 season, Jennings had 20 catches for 201 yards. And that was despite being ejected from the season finale in Arizona. But the final four games don't tell the full story. During the season, Jennings had two games with double-digit catches, had one game over 100 yards (175), and three games with over 90 yards receiving. If Jennings plays like that in 2025, the 49ers will be in good shape until Aiyuk and Robinson return.

In his final four games, Pearsall compiled 19 catches for 263 yards and two touchdowns. He averaged 13.8 yards per catch during that span, as well. His coming-out party was in the second-to-last game of the season, on Monday night against the Detroit Lions. Pearsall had 8 catches for 141 yards and two touchdowns.

And with reports that second-year WR Jacob Cowing looks much better this offseason, the 49ers' wide receiver group could be better than many believe.

How will the 49ers' secondary shape up?

Starting safeties Malik Mustapha and Ji'Ayir Brown are currently injured. Although Brown should be ready for training camp, Mustapha likely will not be. That means backup safeties Jason Pinnock, rookie Marques Sigle, Jaylen Mahoney, Richie Grant, and George Odum will be competing to fill those voids. How will the young players perform? Can Sigle, a smart player the coaches like, crack the starting lineup?

At cornerback, the top two players are Deommodore Lenoir and Renardo Green, who will start on base downs when only two wide receivers are on the field. But when the team goes into nickel situations, with more than two wideouts, how will the defensive backfield look? Lenoir may move inside to the nickel, as he has before. That would open up a spot for someone like Tre Brown or Darrell Luter, Jr., to play on the outside. Luter has a lot of talent, but hasn't done much yet. This is an important minicamp and training camp for him.

The 49ers could also keep Lenoir outside if a player like rookie Upton Stout or veteran Siran Neal can step up. It will be fun to watch the secondary take shape during training camp.

Which linebacker will play alongside Fred Warner?

Greenlaw is gone, so Fred Warner needs a new running mate at linebacker. Dee Winters, who is entering is third season, is currently the frontrunner. But the 49ers like rookie Nick Martin a lot, enough that they used a third-round draft pick on him. If he can regain his pre-injury form, Martin could be a steal and could threaten Winters for a spot in the starting lineup.

Winters is good in his own right. He's a fast, sideline-to-sideline player who delivers big hits, like Greenlaw was famous for. But Winters has dealt with injuries and occasionally is not in the right spot. Expect Winters to earn the job early, but Martin could end up taking it.

Other linebackers to watch include Jalen Graham, Stone Blanton, Curtis Robinson, and Tatum Bethune.

Will any running backs (not named Christian McCaffrey) get to play?

In 2024, Christian McCaffrey missed most of the season with injuries. He had only 50 carries and 15 catches in four games. But in 2023, McCaffrey touched the ball 393 times. Clearly, the 49ers need to lighten his load, but will Head Coach Kyle Shanahan agree with that? Will McCaffrey's backups get to play in 2025?

As a rookie in 2024, Isaac Guerendo showed that he can be explosive. But he got injured too much to carry the load when the team needed him to. As a threat out of the backfield, Guerendo is dangerous, though, and should play even when McCaffrey is available.

James Jordan is a rookie who can be a good complement to McCaffrey, like a closer who can move the ball and take care of it. But Shanahan likes McCaffrey in that role, so it may be hard for Jordan to play much as a rookie, aside from injury issues to McCaffrey and Gurendo.

Patrick Taylor, Jr. and Israel Abanikanda could work their way in, but Guerendo and Jordan will likely have the upper hand. Corey Kiner is an undrafted rookie who looks like a longshot, until you consider Shanahan's history of having late-round or undrafted rookies move ahead of higher-drafted ones (see Trey Sermon/Elijah Mitchell and Ty Davis-Price/Jordan Mason).

How will the special teams units look?

The 49ers have a new special teams coordinator, and I've heard that during OTAs, there have been some exciting things going on (like new formations and plays). Boyer has also had his hand in the building of his group, bringing in a new longsnapper (Jon Weeks), a new punter (Thomas Morstead), and a new kicker to challenge Jake Moody (Greg Joseph). Additionally, Boyer brought in some other players who will have roles on special teams.

One player to watch is rookie WR Junior Bergen. Bergen is one of the most prolific punt returners in college football history. He returned seven punts for touchdowns, second in NCAA history. But will that translate to the NFL? The only player he trails in college football history took eight punts back for a touchdown. His name? Dante Pettis. So college greatness doesn't guarantee NFL greatness. If Bergen can make his mark as a punt returner, he will make the team. If not, he won't.

But since he was handpicked by Boyer, I'd say he has a good shot.