Football is finally back tomorrow for the San Francisco 49ers. Well, kind of. It’s the 49ers’ first preseason game, so that will do for now.
This is the first step towards closing in on the regular season. It’s also the first time most people will get a chance to see how the 49ers’ offseason additions will look.
Keeping a close eye on every player is extremely difficult, which is why these are the three 49ers to watch against the Denver Broncos.
Jul 23, 2025; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers cornerback Upton Stout (20) runs a play during the first day of training camp at SAP Performance Facility. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images / D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images
I’m not sure if there’s another player on the 49ers who comes close to being “must watch” against the Broncos as much as rookie Upton Stout. If you’re on social media or follow any beat reporter, like Grant Cohn, who’s at the practices, then you’ve been seeing a ton of hype on Stout.
He’s been killing it in every practice and just had a solid outing in joint practice with Denver. It’s lining up for him to showcase what everyone who hasn’t been in attendance for 49ers training camp has been missing. If he pans out, it’s going to do a lot for the 49ers’ defense.
Moving Deommodore Lenoir to the outside is a bold and risky move because he’s so great inside, especially replacing Lenoir with a rookie. However, it appears Stout is tapping into the ideal nickel cornerback that Robert Saleh loves, which is a scrappy, run-fitting one, much like the former 49er K’Waun Williams.
Jordan Watkins
Mississippi Rebels wide receiver Jordan Watkins (11) smiles as he scores a touchdown during the fourth quarter of the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. Ole Miss defeated Duke 52-20. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Another rookie who’s been having a solid training camp is wide receiver Jordan Watkins. With Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings, Jacob Cowing, and, at one point, Ricky Pearsall out, it’s allowed Watkins to receive more opportunities. That’s music to a rookie’s ear, especially for the 2025 49ers.
There is no better year for a rookie to carve out a role than this one. Watkins has a chance to tie together a solid training camp by playing strongly against the Broncos in the first preseason game. It will go a long way for him if he can accomplish that.
A bad performance won’t kill him, but it would derail him somewhat. Kyle Shanahan is harsh on rookies, even in a year where they’re open to them playing more. Playing below average in the preseason game after looking solid in practice will hurt him.
Dec 30, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dee Winters (53) during the game against the Detroit Lions at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images / Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images
The stock of linebacker Dee Winters has been rising over the past 10 days. It shows how much work he’s put in to get to where he’s at, and also it helps to motivate him by dangling the starting job in front of him to be alongside Fred Warner.
With Winters’ stock rising, it makes for an exciting player to closely watch against the Broncos. He’s placed himself in a prime position to create significant distance between himself and Nick Martin for the starting job. However, similar to Watkins, a subpar performance will hurt him.
It won’t derail everything, but it will cause Saleh to wonder if the lights are too bright for him. Winters has to have at least an average game that keeps his stock from drastically plummeting. Otherwise, he’s going to have to make up for it in the next practices and preseason games.
