49ers legend Steve Young pinpoints two offensive fixes to help Brock Purdy thrive

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy enjoyed a productive 2025 season after returning from a turf toe injury. The team won six straight games following his return before closing the regular season with a Week 18 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

Purdy finished the year completing 69.4 percent of his passes for 2,167 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. His 100.5 passer rating marked the third time in his NFL career that he has reached that threshold.

As a team, San Francisco fielded the NFL's seventh-ranked offense in total yards and finished 10th in points scored. The 49ers' passing offense ranked fifth league-wide. Still, there is room for improvement—particularly after the offense struggled against Seattle. In three matchups with the Seahawks, the 49ers averaged just 8.7 points.

49ers Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young believes there are two clear areas the offense must address to help Purdy continue his upward trajectory.

A stronger, more consistent offensive line

San Francisco earned a 67.0 team pass-blocking grade this season, ranking 18th in the NFL. While left tackle Trent Williams continues to perform at an elite level and Colton McKivitz may have turned in his best season, the interior offensive line remains an area that could use improvement.

Young believes the unit lacks consistency.

"I thought they had some great games this year, but we need to get back to the 2019 offensive line, where they're the best in the league—top three," Young said on Bay Area radio station KNBR.

Young also cautioned against relying too heavily on Williams, who will turn 38 before the 2026 season.

"It's not fair to say, 'Oh, he's going to be the rock of our offensive line,'" Young said. "And so, I think we've got the makings of a great offensive line. ... If quarterback is the position in the NFL that needs to be prioritized, then the offensive line needs to be the second."

More speed and diverse playmakers

Young also emphasized the need for more speed and balance within the offense. While head coach Kyle Shanahan's scheme helps mitigate some limitations, Young believes the 49ers can't lean so heavily on one or two players.

"It can't be the Christian McCaffrey show," Young said. "We know that. That's asking too much of Christian—way too much of Christian. And I think it affects Christian's running game. I don't think we get the full measure of Christian as a runner when he has to do six other things."

McCaffrey totaled 2,126 scrimmage yards and 17 touchdowns in 2025, including 924 receiving yards and seven scores through the air. Young believes adding more threats would allow McCaffrey—and the entire offense—to operate more efficiently.

"We've got to make sure that we develop threats out of the locker room when they come warming up, that that defense has been talking about since the last Wednesday," Young said.

Young believes that type of intimidation can significantly influence games, recalling his own experience playing alongside elite weapons such as Jerry Rice.

"We were up 10-0 before warm-ups because they'd been talking about us for five days," Young said. "... And that's what we had in 2023, when we warmed up. We came out of the tunnel in 2023, and it's like, every guy, 'Oh, crap.' We've got to get back to that."