“I’ve just got to play better,” Brock Purdy said after that 28-18 loss to the Chiefs in Week 7 last year — but let’s be real! The 49ers were fighting uphill before the first snap. Deebo Samuel was sidelined with an illness. Jauan Jennings was hobbled by a hip injury. And Brandon Aiyuk? His season was already over thanks to a brutal ACL and MCL tear. San Francisco’s passing game was in fumes.

And Kyle Shanahan? He was left looking for answers in a WR room. This year, it feels like the same bad movie on repeat. Aiyuk’s still stuck in rehab with no timetable for a return. Rookie Jordan Watkins is nursing a high-ankle sprain that’ll cost him a month. Jennings is out with a calf injury. For an offense that’s supposed to run smoothly and steady, Shanahan’s stuck juggling parts that keep falling out of place.

Then came the preseason opener — a 30-9 flop against the Broncos that had the Faithful groaning. Regular-season survival is one thing. But Purdy’s heading into 2025 with a receiver room that feels more stitched together than solid. And according to NFL insider Grant Cohn, the QB might be quietly rewriting part of Kyle Shanahan’s playbook. “Purdy is much more mobile than he gets credit for,” Cohn wrote in his SI column. He noted that last year’s 66 runs for 343 yards and five touchdowns were “none… called or designed.” This offseason, Shanahan’s finally working in designed runs, which Cohn believes could add “an additional 15 to 20 first downs per season” and force defenses to account for Purdy’s legs.

For all the “pocket passer” talk, Brock Purdy’s legs have been a quiet weapon. Every one of those 66 runs last season was pure instinct. No headset signal. No whiteboard sketch… Just him seeing daylight and taking it. Now, with Shanahan scripting a few of those moments, the 49ers’ offense might have a fresh wrinkle, and Purdy might have a new way to make opponents pay.

Now? The 49ers are actually calling designed runs for him in practice. Finally. If Shanahan leans into it, Purdy could tack on 15–20 extra first downs a year just by using his legs on third-and-short or fourth-and-short. Sprinkle in a few zone reads, and suddenly defenses have to play him like a dual threat. That opens lanes, slows pass rushes, and — in theory — it gives Christian McCaffrey a little less weight to carry. Quite a shift in how this offense can stress defenses.

Of course, running’s only part of the story. When Keiana Martin asked him how it felt trying to build timing with so many receivers banged up, Purdy didn’t sugarcoat it: “Yeah, I mean obviously as a quarterback all that matters most is you know offseason, OTAs, camp…getting the routes on air….. So, it can be frustrating, you know, when guys are dealing with, you know, little injuries and things like that.” He didn’t linger on the frustration. His focus, as he put it, stays locked on execution: The real test? Whether that patience holds once the season hits and those “little injuries” turn into missed Sundays.

George Kittle is now the 49ers’ real game-changer besides Brock Purdy

Back in 2023, Christian McCaffrey was the heartbeat of the 49ers’ offense — the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year, racking up over 2,000 all-purpose yards and 21 touchdowns. But 2024 told a completely different story. A brutal run of injuries — ankle, Achilles, and finally a knee issue in December — limited him to just four games and 348 total scrimmage yards. In his absence, Jordan Mason stepped in and delivered a couple of big performances, proving once again that in the NFL, depth isn’t a luxury, it’s survival. The question in Santa Clara is clear: who steps up behind CMC in 2025?

Shanahan said in April, “Christian is healthy. He’s doing great,” but also kept the door open, adding, “You always hope to address (the running back position) every year.” But the bigger shift in San Francisco is about who’s leading the offense now. And it’s not CMC anymore says Grant Cohn. It’s George Kittle. For years, McCaffrey and Trent Williams were the two guys every defender feared most. Now, both are still very good, but they’re not the same forces they were a couple of seasons ago.

“It’s not Christian McCaffrey or Trent Williams anymore,” Cohn wrote. “They’re still good, but not as good as they were a couple years ago. Both are beginning to show their age. Williams used to dominate Nick Bosa during the 1-on-1 drills, but not anymore. Now, Bosa usually gets the best of him. And McCaffrey… now it’s Kittle. He still looks like he’s 27. He hasn’t declined at all. The 49ers have to find ways to get him the ball more often this year. He’s criminally underutilized.”

Kittle, though? He looks like he hasn’t aged a day since 27. No slowing down. Just the same nightmare he’s always been. In fact, he’s now the 49ers’ most dangerous weapon, and the offense needs to treat him that way. Shanahan has to find ways to feed him more often in 2025, because right now, he’s criminally underutilized. With McCaffrey no longer the primary focal point, Kittle’s moment in the spotlight has finally arrived — and San Francisco’s ceiling might just depend on how much they let him own it and heavy is the head that wears the crown.