49ers’ Kyle Shanahan expects, deserves scrutiny for 2-4 start

Deebo Samuel made it through one of the toughest offseasons of his NFL career. He waited to see what would come of his contract extension. The San Francisco 49ers star saw several other wide receivers receive big paydays, making the already agonizing wait worse. That is behind him now, though. San Francisco locked Samuel up through the 2025 season, making him one of the highest-paid receivers in the NFL and the second-highest paid player on the roster. Of course, he'll own the top spot once quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is moved. "It's been a long six, seven months," Samuel told Tom Pelissero and Maurice Jones-Drew on NFL Network after Sunday's practice. "I'm just like, 'Hurry up and get this over with so I can get back out here with the guys.' I was more eager to

The 49ers are just three days away from their preseason opener against the Green Bay Packers (8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT, Friday), a game that will give 49ers fans the chance to see a number of their team's players in on-field action for the first time. Two particular newcomers of interest to keep an eye on Friday night will be offensive lineman Spencer Burford and wide receiver/return specialist Ray-Ray McCloud. Burford is progressing towards starting as a rookie at right guard after being selected by the 49ers in Round 4 of the 2022 NFL Draft, while McCloud will be making his 49ers preseason debut after signing with the team as a free agent in the offseason. McCloud is expected to be the primary return specialist for the 49ers this season, but there's a chance he could also

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke with reporters ahead of Friday's practice, providing some injury updates during the conversation. First, he revealed that offensive lineman Jaylon Moore would miss some time with a lower leg strain. The other injury was to wide receiver Marcus Johnson, who is in the concussion protocol. The injury occurred on Tuesday, the same day as the brawls between linebacker Fred Warner and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. According Shanahan, Johnson was the recipient of a big hit from the star linebacker, causing the injury and sparking the scuffle. "I love the intensity of it, but I don't think you have to fight to be intense, though," Shanahan said of the brawls. "Scuffles are scuffles. Then

The odds of the San Francisco 49ers signing a veteran center like J.C. Tretter appear to be dwindling. Barring any injuries, the team seems content heading into the 2022 season with the players on the current roster who are competing for roles along the offensive line's interior. "We're very good with the people in our building," head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Friday. "When you talk about a veteran, which everyone does, that just means it's always a lot easier when you've seen someone do it for 17 games. But no one does do that until you give them the opportunity. We see in practice every day now—we saw it last year—that we have guys in our building who are definitely capable of it. Now it's about getting into those games. We'll try to give them some