Kawakami: All the reasons why the 49ers should be good again this season

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You really couldn't tell by Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch's sour looks and mood on Wednesday, but not everything is unwell around the 49ers these days.

In fact, there's a lot about this team that seems quite acceptable and some things that strongly point to a playoff run.

The draining Jauan Jennings situation, of course, is not one of them. But there should be some sort of climax coming in the next week or so — Jennings will either start practicing in time to get ready for Week 1 on Sept. 7 or the 49ers likely will place him on injured reserve or find some other way to move on without him, at least temporarily.

I've written plenty about Jennings. I probably will write much more. But in the wake of Shanahan and Lynch offering some tart and tired answers at the podium on Wednesday while discussing Jennings and the rest of their very fluid roster, this is an excellent time for some counterprogramming.

Last week, I listed all the things that might drag the 49ers down this season and I sure did not skimp on the category.

This week comes the positive ying to that pessimistic yang: Let's cite all the things about the 49ers that give them every chance to get up from last year's stumble and turn back into a very good team this season and for several more after that.

(I won't include the points about the incredibly weak schedule and relatively unspectacular NFC West that I've mentioned many times previously. That's definitely part of the 2025 positivity, too, but I'm focusing on broader themes in this story.)

I'm not writing this to say that none of their problematic decisions and injury woes mean anything this year. I'm writing this to say that these are the prime foundational elements that probably will keep the whole thing moving forward even when the high winds blow.

It doesn't always look comfortable or feel that way, I'm sure, but the raw emotions both men showed on Wednesday are part of why Shanahan and Lynch are still so well-liked and understood in the locker room going into their ninth season in charge of this team.

They care. They're open. When they're happy, it's obvious. And when they're frustrated by something (hello, No. 15!), the whole building rattles.

This whole era has been fueled by competitive reality: Shanahan and Lynch don't do politics, put on fake smiles, or mislead players about their plans.

When they're getting ready to move on from somebody, they tell him so, which is why Deebo Samuel's exit last spring was a lot calmer than you might've expected. And when they're ready to ride with a player for the long term, they make that clear, too — just like they did with Brock Purdy in the months leading up to the $265-million deal he signed in the offseason.

That's how the entire operation got through the big payroll slashing last spring; that's why the team leaders kept leading; that's how the 49ers can reload the middle of their roster with young players who might turn into the next generation of leaders.

Brandon Aiyuk's contract tussle was a big test of the team chemistry last year and in some ways that was a breach that still hasn't been closed. And now the Jennings situation is slicing at the good mood. But the 49ers have gone through a lot of knotty things in this era; even if it gets a little bumpier, the trust and camaraderie will likely get them through this one, too.

The blow-up could've started during the offseason salary cuts; NFL leadership groups have been torn apart over much less than this, and I can point you to the Jim Harbaugh-Trent Baalke-York divorce if you need a reminder.

Notably, the Shanahan/Lynch era has already lasted twice as long as Harbaugh did as 49ers coach, and last spring was another example of why this can keep going. I'm sure Shanahan and Lynch weren't thrilled to lose all those veterans in free agency. I imagine they were wondering how in the world they could patch together a credible roster this season.

But they didn't complain, not publicly and not even privately, from all indications. And I can guess that York and Marathe appreciated that — as Shanahan and Lynch appreciate the financial support ownership has provided through all previous seasons before last spring's reset.

You still get the sense that none of them want to do this with anybody but each other. After eight seasons of highs and lows, that's saying a lot.

Kittle is 31. Warner is 28. Bosa is 27. I don't know if this is the last time all three probable future Hall of Famers will be healthy and in their primes at the same time, but I suspect that all three of them know it might be.

You saw it every moment they hit the field in training camp. Yes, these guys always look good in practice, but this summer, even while Shanahan made sure to keep their rep-count down, Bosa, Warner, and Kittle looked dominant just about every play.

Again, health is everything. We could've said the exact same sunny things about all three guys and about the 49ers in general last summer. Before the crash.

But on this younger, thinner team, Bosa, Kittle, and Warner have never been more essential. And the greatest prime players usually rise to that kind of occasion.

You can win a lot of games, including playoff games, with Purdy as your quarterback, which is mostly true because the 49ers have actually done this with Purdy over the last several years.

And he won't turn 26 until December, is starting his fourth NFL season, and has a career 104.9 passer rating, which — shhhh — is higher than the current career ratings of Aaron Rodgers (102.6), Patrick Mahomes (102.1), Lamar Jackson (102.0), and every other QB all-time who has 1,500 or more pass attempts. (Purdy has 1,069 attempts.)

I'm not arguing that Purdy is anywhere near the best QB ever or one of the top five now. But he's been an extremely efficient QB his entire 49ers career, even last year (96.1 rating), when for most of the season he didn't have Christian McCaffrey running the ball or Aiyuk catching it.

Just by himself, a solid QB can sometimes pull a team to the brink of the playoffs. This season, unless all hell breaks loose again, Purdy shouldn't be by himself.

49ers fans probably don't want to go back through the play-by-play recounting of the first five or six weeks of special teams play last year, before the injury wave began to wipe everything out.

I did. And my goodness, it was horrible — awful kick coverage, missed field goals, failing to stop a fake punt, and more. I covered all of it and I still forgot how the 49ers' special teams directly cost the Week 3 game against the Rams and contributed heavily to the Week 5 loss to the Cardinals.

The 49ers outgained their two NFC West rivals in those games 809-654 and went 0-2. That is almost impossible to do, unless you're very sloppy all around (yes) and specifically on special teams (oh yes).

So even though the 49ers were clearly wobbly in all areas, they still easily could've been 6-2, not 4-4, last season before the total injury implosion came down. They weren't going to make a Super Bowl sprint or anything, but they really could've and should've been respectable.

And that was in a season when McCaffrey only carried the ball 50 times, only caught 15 passes, and didn't score a touchdown.

Sure, the 49ers could be worse in a lot of areas this season. They need production from Mykel Williams and the rest of their talented young defensive linemen, but they all could go through a combined rookie slump or they could get hurt or both. Same for Ricky Pearsall and the wide receivers. Same for almost all the positions.

But if the special teams are better, the 49ers will feel steadier than they did last year. If three or four or seven of the young players are very good, the entire team will rise, just like the 49ers did several years ago. And sure, let's say it: The elements are there for them to do it again.