SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- The San Francisco 49ers open the 2022 NFL regular season at the Chicago Bears on Sept. 11 at Soldier Field.
After a 10-7 season in which they surged to the NFC Championship Game before coming up short against the Los Angeles Rams, the Niners are entering a pivotal camp as they transition at quarterback from Jimmy Garoppolo to Trey Lance. The Lance storyline will dominate this camp and, likely, the season but the 49ers have plenty of other questions to answer as well.
San Francisco lost 10 coaches in the offseason, including offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, and have new position coaches at every spot on the offense except the offensive line. They're also going to have to sort things out on the interior of the offensive line after losing guard Laken Tomlinson in free agency and center Alex Mack to retirement. Things are far more stable on defense, where coordinator DeMeco Ryans returns after a strong debut performance. That group brings back eight starters and will look to high-priced free agent cornerback Charvarius Ward to elevate it to another level.
Here's a 53-man roster projection heading into the summer break:
QUARTERBACK (2): Trey Lance, Nate Sudfeld
Is there a chance the Niners keep Jimmy Garoppolo around this season? Sure, but it's unlikely unless it's at a significantly reduced price. The 49ers appear ready to hand the reins to Lance and see where it takes them. Sudfeld is a veteran backup and rookie Brock Purdy is ticketed for the practice squad.
