The San Francisco 49ers play in arguably the toughest division in the NFL: the NFC West. San Francisco has to face the Seattle Seahawks, who are the reigning Super Bowl champions and the Los Angeles Rams, twice. Additionally, both teams have championship aspirations this upcoming 2026 season.
Seattle has arguably the best defense in the NFL, with head coach Mike Macdonald as its mastermind. Moreover, the Rams made moves this offseason to bolster their defense and elevate it to one of the league’s best with the arrivals of Trent McDuffie and Myles Garrett.
Meanwhile, the Niners have made their share of moves, such as signing Mike Evans and Christian Kirk and bringing back Dre Greenlaw. Furthermore, the 49ers traded for Osa Odighizuwa.
Nonetheless, they lack the blockbuster move that Los Angeles made. Despite that, Kyle Juszczyk says the 49ers don’t need to win the offseason. Juszczyk also noted that he’s fine with people forgetting the Niners in favor of focusing on the Seahawks and Rams.
“We feel great about where our team is,” Juszczyk told NFL Media on June 12. “The fact that we won 13 games last season with all that we had to deal with, I think that’s easy to forget. And rightfully so. The Seahawks won a Super Bowl, the Rams had a great season, they had some great additions in the offseason, so I can understand why that is the case. But I think we feel great about where we’re at.”
Kyle Juszczyk Happy With Niners Being an Afterthought
Moreover, Juszczyk went into detail about the offseason moves the Niners made as they look to win the division this upcoming season and potentially go on a deeper playoff run.
“I love our squad,” Juszczyk added. “I think that we have only improved. Guys are getting healthy. We added Mike Evans and Osa [Odighizuwa] on defense, which I think both of those guys are going to make such an impact. I think we’re sitting in a good spot. If people want to forget about us, that’s fantastic. That’s a good place to be sometimes.”
Should the 49ers Look to Make a Trade Before Training Camp?
If the 49ers decide they need more help up front with their pass rush, could they look to the trade market instead? In these last few days, there’s been speculation that the Niners could have an interest in Pittsburgh Steelers’ Alex Highsmith.
In a June 11 video from his YouTube channel, 49ers on SI’s Grant Cohn revealed what the Steelers reportedly want for Highsmith.
“From what I’m hearing, they want a second-rounder for him,” Cohn said.
Moreover, Cohn noted that while the Steelers don’t have any long-term solution at QB, the Niners have no intention of trading away Mac Jones.
“[The 49ers] holding on to Mac Jones for a reason,” Cohn added. “It’s because they’re not sold on Brock. If Brock wasn’t the starting quarterback, if the starting quarterback were someone who was consistent, then yeah, but no.”
It will be interesting to see whether the Niners decide to make a move before training camp starts to improve their pass rush, or address it around the trade deadline.
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