NFL training camp. It's the time when NFL teams and their fans have a renewed spirit of optimism. It's a period when perennially bad teams (and their fans) have a chance to believe that this could be their year. Because of this, it's one of the more exciting times of the year for sports fans.
And it's no different for the San Francisco 49ers. Despite a disappointing 6-11 season in 2024, the 49ers believe they can bounce back and once again compete for a chance to win their sixth Super Bowl. Much of the national media believes the opposite, considering the number of losses of key players the 49ers have endured. And it doesn't help that the core of the roster is aging.
Yet there is optimism in Santa Clara.
And the 49ers aren't alone in their belief. Kristopher Knox, of Bleacher Report, wrote an article this week entitled, "Every NFL Team's Biggest Reason for Optimism Heading into 2025 Training Camps." In the piece, Knox lays out the reasons why each NFL team has reason to be optimistic. And from what Knox wrote about the 49ers, he appears to believe the team could potentially be gearing up for another Super Bowl run.
"After reaching the NFC title game in four of the previous five seasons, the San Francisco 49ers stumbled to a 6-11 record in 2024," Knox wrote. "Injuries to key players like Brandon Aiyuk, Christian McCaffrey, and Trent Williams played a large role in San Francisco's 2024 decline, but fatigue may have also been a factor.
"By reaching the Super Bowl during their 2023 campaign, the 49ers played an extra three games and played into February. They played an extra three games in 2022, as well, which means they played roughly two-and-a-half seasons over those two years."
Knox is correct. Several 49ers' players have admitted to the fact that they were tired coming out of that 2023 run that ended in an overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl. Offensive tackle Trent Williams even admitted how the Super Bowl loss affected him and his teammates emotionally. So, they were not only dealing with longer seasons and less rest time, but they were also dealing with the emotions of losing the biggest game of their lives. And for those players who also lost the 2019 Super Bowl to the Chiefs, the heartbreak was that much greater. And it showed in 2024.
"This year, San Francisco has had a full offseason to get healthy, rest, and reload," Knox added. "Players like McCaffrey and Williams should be ready to go by the start of the season, and an influx of rookie talent—the 49ers' first five draft selections were defenders—should help replenish a defense that ranked 29th in points allowed last season.
"San Francisco also brought back defensive coordinator Robert Saleh this offseason."
In 2024, the weakness of the 49ers team was the defense. This was a stark contrast to years before, when the defense had been so dominant. And within the defense, the most striking weakness was the 49ers' run defense. Nick Sorensen's group had no answer late in games when teams were running the ball down their throat.
But the 49ers brought back former defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. Not only is Saleh a considerable upgrade from Sorensen, but he also learned a lot from his stint as the head coach of the New York Jets. Saleh returns with his unmatched enthusiasm and intensity, along with a more experienced coaching approach and new wrinkles to his defense.
That change alone should result in the 49ers' defense being better. And that doesn't even mention what the 49ers did this offseason to address a defense that had quickly become slow. They will be a younger, hungrier, and faster defense in 2025.
There will be some challenges for the 49ers' offense, but there is still a strong core of players on that side of the ball.
"Aiyuk (torn ACL, MCL) is likely to miss regular-season time, but if the rest of the offense is and can stay healthy while the defense rebounds, San Francisco should be back in the Super Bowl mix," Knox continued. "The 49ers have done it before, as they followed an injury-impacted 6-10 campaign in 2020 with an appearance in the NFC Championship Game the following year."
Can the 49ers bounce back and compete for another Super Bowl? As Knox wrote, they did it before. They built this roster from nothing and rebounded before. There's no reason why they can't do it again.