3 Players Who Are Sneakily Important to the 49ers in 2026
· Yahoo Sports
The 49ers’ on-field preparations for the 2026 season start to take shape this week with the opening of OTAs.
In relation to what actually happens in the regular season, OTAs don’t carry much importance, though they provide a look at rookies and free agent additions and a potential insight into the situation with position battles.
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But often some of the most significant contributions in a regular season and in the playoffs are made by players who don’t attract a lot of attention as the hype around a new season starts to build.
Roster depth beyond a star-studded set of starters has often been a concern for the 49ers in recent years. However, contributions from backups were crucial to their run to the Divisional Round last year as another injury crisis hit the roster hard.
And, for as much as the Niners have made several moves this offseason to boost their starting lineup on both sides of the ball, it’s likely that lesser heralded players will again have a significant influence on their fortunes.
As much of the roster gets set to convene at the facility this week, I’ve picked out three players who carry underrated importance to the Niners this season.
QB Kurtis Rourke
Rourke hasn’t played a snap for the 49ers, having been drafted in the seventh round last year after the Canadian underwent surgery on his right knee.
But the 49ers are very high on the former Indiana quarterback, who will be in a battle with Adrian Martinez for the role of third-string quarterback this season.
“Love the arm talent. He’s a heck of a thrower,” offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak said of Rourke, per Vic Tafur of The Athletic. “He’s big, he’s strong, he can spin it. … We have high hopes for him. We’re excited for him as a player.”
The 49ers’ hopes of success in 2026 obviously aren’t contingent on who wins a positional battle for the QB3 role.
But, given Brock Purdy’s injury history, there’s a not insignificant chance that QB3 could become QB2. Additionally, the possibility that the 49ers trade backup Mac Jones, a free agent in 2027, cannot be discounted.
In other words, it would be greatly beneficial to the 49ers if Rourke can beat out Martinez and prove that he is capable of being a reliable backup either this season or when Jones likely departs next offseason. His development is an intriguing subplot to follow as the 49ers prepare for the new season.
TE Jake Tonges
Tonges enjoyed an important and unexpected ascension last year, his talents as a pass-catcher turning him into an extremely useful weapon at tight end when George Kittle was out of the lineup.
The Cal product had five touchdowns in 2025, with 21 of his 34 receptions going for a first down.
San Francisco did not add at tight end via the draft and eschewed the opportunity to commit resources to adding a veteran via free agency
As such, with Kittle’s Week 1 status up in the air, Tonges could be in for a prominent role to start 2026 after penning a two-year contract this offseason.
With the weapons the 49ers have at the other skill positions, Tonges is unlikely to be a primary target even if Kittle is out of action in the opening weeks of the season. Still, it would be very valuable to the 49ers if he could take another step forward in 2026 and mitigate the impact of Kittle’s potential absence.
DE Keion White
The 49ers don’t know if Mykel Williams will be ready for Week 1 following the ACL tear that prematurely ended his rookie season and, while there is still time for them to dip into the free agency and add a veteran capable of starting across from Nick Bosa, right now the Niners appear set to rely heavily on White and Sam Okuayinonu to eat up a lot of defensive end reps on base downs.
Both players bring inside-out versatility and can have an impact as rotational pass rushers, but it was White who was the slightly more influential performer last season.
Across 11 games for the 49ers in the regular season and playoffs following his trade from the New England Patriots, White had 24 pressures, per Pro Football Focus, only seven fewer than Okuayinonu managed across 17 games. White’s pass rush win rate of 12.1% was also superior to that of Okuayinonu (10.5%).
White is recovering from an injury sustained when he was shot in the ankle back in February. Assuming all goes well with that rehab and considering the 49ers’ limited veteran options to fill the void if Williams is not ready for Week 1, White looks to be in line for a heavy workload in 2026. It is quietly key for the 49er defense that he builds on the positive play he produced last season.