Golden Nuggets: At long last...... GAME DAY

Barrows: In Brock Purdy, has 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan finally found his new Kirk Cousins? (paywall)

“The reliability that Garoppolo struggled to achieve? Injuries certainly could sidetrack Purdy the way they did Garoppolo and Lance. Purdy dealt with two big ones in a short time as a rookie and might not have the size or bulk to withstand a lot of abuse. It might be his biggest red flag.

But he doesn’t seem to have Garoppolo’s unresponsiveness. The 49ers were impressed by how closely Purdy worked with them during his recovery from elbow surgery this offseason and how quickly he returned to action.”

49ers roster moves: Bosa, Moody good to go vs. Steelers

“Nick Bosa will be in uniform for the 49ers’ season opener on Sunday.”

Branch: 49ers’ McCaffrey, Samuel, Kittle & Aiyuk a quartet to fuel Super Bowl dreams (paywall)

“Having a running back catch the ball and basically is another wide receiver? Almost all running backs are not that,” Jones said. “Ricky Watters certainly was. … And Christian McCaffrey is a freak and who can catch the ball downfield.

“What I mean by that is, most running backs who get credit for catching the ball are catching swing passes out of the backfield. Little delay routes. Checkdowns. Screens. They’re not running corner routes, or running posts or running deep crossing patterns. Christian McCaffrey can do all those things as well as Ricky Watters could. As so that’s what creates the ultimate pressure on a defense because you’re getting your fourth- or fifth-best coverage guy on a running back like that.”

6 players who will make or break 49ers chances to win vs. Steelers

“There’s two ways Lenoir could matter Sunday, although San Francisco may not have a choice if CB Charvarius Ward is out. If Lenoir plays outside, the Steelers will try and get WR George Pickens matched up against him. Lenoir struggled down the field with bigger receivers last season and Pickens is one of the most talented deep ball receivers in the NFL. If he’s better on deep balls and can keep Pickens from blowing the game open, Pittsburgh may have trouble generating explosive plays.

If Ward does play and the 49ers want to avoid a Lenoir-Pickens matchup, they could slide Lenoir to the slot and put Ambry Thomas on the outside. Thomas-Pickens will certainly matter, but if Lenoir can hold up in the slot and take away some of the easy throws for Steelers QB Kenny Pickett it’ll allow San Francisco’s pass rush more time to affect the young signal caller.”

Report: Kupp placed on IR, out for 49ers-Rams Week 2 clash

Kupp will miss Los Angeles’ first game of the season against the Seattle Seahawks, along with three more after, Rapoport added.”

49ers elevate two players from practice squad for Week 1 vs. Steelers

“In a flurry of roster moves on Saturday, the San Francisco 49ers announced that they will be elevating two players from the practice squad to the active roster for Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers: defensive end Austin Bryant, who officially signed to the practice squad on Saturday, and linebacker Curtis Robinson.”

Inside the Nick Bosa deal

“In all, the deal has $88 million fully guaranteed at signing, $8 million more than T.J. Watt’s deal. By April 1, 2025, $122.5 million will be fully guaranteed. To avoid owing him the full amount of the guarantee, the 49ers would have to release him after two seasons, at a total obligation of $88 million.”