When Dre Greenlaw first walked back into the San Francisco 49ers’ facility this offseason after a year away, everybody got a hug from the linebacker.“It was just an unbelievable feeling, just missing the guys, missing the organization, missing just everybody,” said Greenlaw, who left to play for the Denver Broncos in 2025. “It was just a sense of feeling like home.”There might be a lot more hugs at training camp starting Sunday, as the defense will also welcome back defensive linemen Nick Bosa, Mykel Williams and Keion White from injury at some point early in camp. Linebacker Fred Warner is already back from his broken ankle — there’s been enough written about the 49ers’ grit last season, but going 7-3 without Bosa and Warner was a feather in the cap of coach Kyle Shanahan and departed defensive coordinator Robert Saleh.Raheem Morris takes over the defense, and the former Atlanta Falcons coach has a nice mix of older and younger players. Could he use another pass rusher? Who couldn’t? The following wraps up our review of the roster with camp set to begin, depicting the pecking order at each position. We examined the offense Wednesday and hit the defense and special teams today.Defensive lineNick Bosa: Bosa didn’t seem too excited about the chances of his brother, Joey, joining the fold, but that’s because he is locked in on his latest comeback from a knee injury. Not to mention mentoring Williams, as the two spent a lot of time together in the trainer’s room last season. It seems like a long time ago that Bosa made a game-saving sack of Sam Darnold in the 2025 opener. The Seahawks went on to win the Super Bowl, and now Bosa is back, hoping to be the same game-wrecker at 28 and to prevent a repeat.Osa Odighizuwa: The former Dallas Cowboy was the team’s second-biggest addition after Mike Evans, and the gap-shooter feels like the “handcuffs are being taken off” from what he was asked to do in Dallas.Alfred Collins: Upton Stout was the team’s rookie of the year last season, but the staff and front office feel Collins might have the biggest upside of the bunch. The 6-foot-5, 332-pounder can get some push up the middle as well as clog it up. His game-saving knockout punch of the Rams’ Kyren Williams — player and ball — was the Niners’ play of the year last season.3 players to watch at 49ers training campMatt BarrowsMykel Williams: Some hot-take artists like to paint last year’s first-round pick as a bust because he had only one sack in nine games before tearing up his knee. But the 49ers’ run defense got a lot worse after he left, and Williams is only scratching the surface. He is expected to be back for camp.Keion White: White’s rehab is also going well. He was shot in the leg at a nightclub in San Francisco after the Super Bowl, and he has been posting videos of his workouts on social media. The 49ers traded for White last season and like his ability to rush the passer from the outside or inside — much like Williams.Romello Height: The 49ers drafted Height in the third round to replace Bryce Huff, who suddenly retired at age 27 to help save the world. Height is lean with some burst and spin ability, and how he looks at camp will determine the team’s urgency to sign a veteran pass rusher.C.J. West: Another young anchor, West didn’t stand out during his rookie season but got rave reviews from newcomer Odighizuwa during offseason workouts.Gracen Halton: Halton was a running back in high school and an edge rusher in college before moving inside, so one can see why the 49ers are excited about his athleticism as a defensive tackle. The fourth-round rookie will have some time to grow into his role on what could be a very deep defensive line.Sam Okuayinonu: One of the many unsung heroes from last season, Okuayinonu started 12 games as an injury replacement and finished with three sacks, six tackles for loss and very few mistakes. He is a very respected member of the locker room entering his third year here.Evan Anderson: The run-stuffer earned his hefty 2024 undrafted-rookie bonus and then largely disappeared last season. A knee injury slowed him during preseason, and he was never heard from again, buried on the practice squad.Sebastian Valdez: One of the reasons Anderson fell down the depth chart was the Hulk smash. Valdez earned the “Hulk” nickname in college at Montana State and Washington because of his physique, and 49ers coaches and teammates were impressed by the undrafted rookie’s learning curve and power. Shanahan even called him up to the active roster for a couple of games, knowing he wouldn’t play but wanting to give Valdez a well-earned bigger weekly paycheck.Cameron Sample: Lottery tickets are cheap, and the odds aren’t good, but why not? Sample was a fourth-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2021 who has played inside and outside, but neither particularly well. Maybe Niners defensive coach Kris Kocurek, who has cashed in on some tickets in the past, saw something on film.Mikail Kamara: The super sleeper of training camp. The fourth Indiana player — it’s a pipeline! — on the roster, the 6-1, 265-pound Kamara had 10 sacks for the Hoosiers in 2024. He plays with violence, and Kocurek praised his “technique, leverage and get-off” at offseason workouts.James Thompson Jr.: The undrafted rookie spent five years at Wisconsin before transferring to Illinois, where his pad level was still too high, but he did have his best game against Ohio State.Bryson Eason: Another undrafted rookie, he hears “Rocky Top” in his sleep because he spent six years in college at Tennessee.William Bradley-King: Bradley-King has bounced around since being a seventh-round pick of the Washington Commanders in 2021. He’s played in four career games, with one solo tackle and one quarterback hit.Andrew Farmer II: Farmer played eight games for the Chargers in 2023 before stints with the Broncos’ and 49ers’ practice squads.LinebackersFred Warner: This is not meant as a stray shot at departed linebacker Dee Winters, but man, he looked a lot better playing next to Warner than after Warner was carted off. Warner seemingly sees everything that is happening (or about to happen) and then chases it down. With enthusiasm and a forearm.How Fred Warner is preparing to bounce back from injuryDan PompeiDre Greenlaw: Niners fans, skip the next sentence … But did a team that had so many injuries last season really add a bunch of guys, like Evans, Greenlaw and Nate Hobbs, who were hurt last season? Greenlaw sustained quad and hamstring injuries in Denver, and he battled injuries before that with the 49ers, but when healthy, he and Warner have made an elite duo with an edge and a telepathic connection.Luke Gifford: The Pro Bowler is back. He and Siran Neal led a special teams unit that was the Niners’ best in quite some time. On defense, Gifford was better against the run than pass.Garret Wallow: The 49ers didn’t (cough) wallow in self-pity after all the injuries, thanks in part to Wallow, who made some plays down the stretch. A pro’s pro, Wallow is entering Year 6 in the NFL after earlier stops at Houston, Tennessee and Denver.Jaden Dugger: Dugger stood out at the Niners’ offseason workouts — and that was even before the whistle blew or ball was snapped. The rookie is 6-4 with a seven-foot wingspan and some burst. A former safety at Louisiana, Dugger had trouble getting off blocks in college and needs to add muscle but is an intriguing (long-term?) project.Tatum Bethune: Bethune filled in for Warner with mixed results, but those were impossible shoes to fill. He’s a good downhill player who needs to work on some other areas.Nick Martin: Just when the game stopped seeming too difficult for him, the 2025 third-round pick was sidelined with a concussion. He can fly around, but he was reckless at times, and it will be interesting to see if he makes a step up the depth chart this season.Jalen Graham: Graham is entering Year 4 with the 49ers, having appeared in 15 games, despite a brief stint in Washington. Who knew?Larry Worth III: Undrafted out of Arkansas, Worth signed with the 49ers after attending their rookie camp on a tryout basis. The 6-4, 226-pounder most recently played nickel and safety for the Razorbacks but will focus on linebacker with the Niners.CornerbacksDeommodore Lenoir: Lenoir wasn’t as good in coverage last season, according to analytics, but it’s hard to cover receivers in the NFL when the fill-in pass rushers are counting alligators. He’s the 49ers’ best cornerback, though it’s fair to say he hasn’t earned the hefty paycheck ($18.4 million per year) quite yet.Upton Stout: Stout played a lot bigger than 5-9 at Western Kentucky, then again in his rookie season in the NFL. He is sticky in coverage and just got better and better as the year went on.Renardo Green: There were trade rumors regarding Green. Then Shanahan said the coaches were so hard on him because his bar is so high and they expect more. What does Morris think of him? We’re about to find out.Nate Hobbs: Injuries have always been the knock on Hobbs, though it’s not like he is trying to get hurt. He played well in the slot for the Raiders before the Packers tried to move him outside and things went sideways. Green Bay cut him after one season, and with Stout seemingly entrenched at the slot, it will be interesting to see what Morris has planned.Jack Jones: Another former Raider, Jones has always had a knack for making plays, like when he once reached back and caught an interception mid-air behind his body. He also has a penchant for wearing out his welcome, as this is team No. 4 in five seasons.Darrell Luter Jr.: Luter had his busiest season in three years with the 49ers, playing in all 17 games and starting three in 2025. There are some good ball skills and physicality here, so don’t count him out.Ephesians Prysock: We might be wrong, but it seems like most of the rookie draft picks fit better long-term than this season. Prysock is tall (6-3) with long arms and some speed, but the tackling and ball skills need some seasoning.Siran Neal: Neal didn’t play a single snap on defense last season — the first time that’s happened in his eight-year career — but was a stalwart on special teams and one of the many underrated leaders in the locker room.Eli Apple: The 11th-year vet, who played two games for the 49ers in 2025, is mostly an insurance clause at this point.Jakob Robinson: After going undrafted out of BYU in 2025, Robinson made enough plays in training camp and the preseason to be on the bubble for a roster spot, then broke his arm in the preseason finale … which got him paid for the whole season. The 5-10 Robinson has much stiffer competition this year.SafetiesMalik Mustapha: Mustapha was steady enough in his first year back from knee surgery. He’s got a lot of muscle and is strong coming downhill, and the burst also comes in handy in pass coverage.Ji’Ayir Brown: It felt like we have to grade the safeties on a curve in 2025 because of all the injuries to the front seven, and Brown had a couple of great games, a couple of not-so-good games and a lot of … (shrugs). The team is looking for a big step up in Year 4.Marques Sigle: Sigle came on down the stretch as a rookie before a couple of rough playoff games. None of these top three guys is really a free safety, which might open the door for …Ashtyn Davis: A third-round pick in 2020, Davis has played 84 games for the Jets and Dolphins, recording nine interceptions and 19 pass breakups. He was signed after general manager John Lynch said the 49ers wanted to draft a safety but the board didn’t break that way.Derrick Canteen: Canteen signed with the 49ers in 2025 after playing safety and cornerback at Georgia Southern, Virginia Tech and Cincinnati. They released him and brought him back to the practice squad.Jalen Stroman: The undrafted rookie had an interception returned for a touchdown and a blocked punt at Notre Dame. Special teams will be his ticket.Patrick McMorris: A sixth-round pick in 2021, McMorris played six games for the Dolphins in 2024 but is now on his fourth team.Special teamsPK Eddy Piñeiro: Eddy Dinero was, in fact, money, missing only 1 of 29 field goal attempts, and that was a 64-yarder before halftime against the Colts (and it hit the center of the crossbar). After the Jake Moody disaster, Shanahan personally drove over the new four-year, $17 million contract.P Corliss Waitman: Thomas Morstead was deemed too old, and the 49ers are turning to the 31-year-old Belgian punter who was solid for the Broncos in 2022 and the Steelers the last two years. That is, if he can hold off …P Jack Bouwmeester: The Australian rookie would love to return home for the season opener. He averaged 44.5 yards per punt for Texas before going undrafted.LS Jon Weeks: Legend. A 16-year NFL career throwing a ball between his legs. Weeks made the Pro Bowl for the 49ers in 2025, his second-such honor, with the first coming in 2015.