49ers will activate Aldon Smith today

Some wondered what the San Francisco 49ers saw in Isaiah Oliver, signing the cornerback to a two-year deal in free agency with the hope that he could take over the vacant nickel spot. Oliver didn't look overly impressive in training camp or the preseason. On Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams, Oliver may have proved his critics wrong. The veteran cornerback was everywhere on the football field, making game-changing plays and helping the 49ers to a 30-23 win. Oliver finished with three tackles, four assists, a pass defensed, and an interception. "Just kind of go get the ball in the air," Oliver said of the interception while speaking with team reporter Lindsey Pallares

One San Francisco 49ers veteran expressed his recognition of Drake Jackson's growth. The second-year defensive end tallied three sacks on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, matching his total for all of last season. Jackson's emergence creates a formidable challenge for opposing offenses who now have to deal with him and Nick Bosa on the edges. Javon Hargrave, this year's prize free-agent addition, and savvy veteran Arik Armstead are in the middle. The latter spoke highly of Jackson's progress, the result of hard offseason work. "Man, I'm a proud vet today," Armstead said on his new "Third and Long" podcast. "Drake Jackson, year two, man, this kid is extremely talented. He worked extremely hard this offseason to prepare himself for this season, and it's

The San Francisco 49ers have been impressive through their first two games of the season. Quarterback Brock Purdy continues to win. His regular-season win streak could extend to eight games on Thursday night, with the Niners hosting the New York Giants at Levi's Stadium. One former player who remains impressed by the 49ers' second-year quarterback is Alex Smith. Smith addressed those who question whether Purdy, the last overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, is for real and if the young quarterback can "take this team the distance." "He doesn't look like Josh Allen or Justin Herbert, the guys that we want to label these premier quarterbacks in the NFL, but he's built, and it's a perfect place to be because he's an amazing facilitator of this offense," Smith said on

Thursday night was a fun one at Levi's Stadium, where the San Francisco 49ers cruised to a 30-12 victory over the visiting New York Giants. It was a night that saw wide receiver Deebo Samuel declare himself as officially out of "awful" mode, running back Christian McCaffrey reach milestones, wide receiver Ronnie Bell create some lasting memories, and -- of all things -- Andrew Luck making a return to an NFL field (in full Civil War costume) to take part in a game of trivia. Let's recap all that and more in this version of 49ers Notebook. Not awful anymore Back in June, Deebo Samuel caught some attention with his honest description of his 2022 performance