JOSH DUBOW

Pro football writer

Dubow is an NFL writer for The Associated Press who covers the San Francisco 49ers and provides weekly analysis of NFL statistics.

At least 9 playoff teams from the 2023 NFL season enter this year with new play-callers

Kyle Shanahan’s decision to bring in an outsider to run the San Francisco 49ers defense backfired last season when the previously dominant unit took a step back in 2023 under Steve Wilks.

Brock Purdy and several other starters are expected to play in exhibition finale for the 49ers

Brock Purdy and several other of the starting offensive players for the San Francisco 49ers will get one final preseason tuneup before the season opener with a few notable exceptions.

49ers rookie receiver Jacob Cowing capitalizes on chance to get on the field

When it comes to the wide receiver room for the San Francisco 49ers this summer, more of the focus has been on the players not practicing than those who are.

Stanford looks to bounce back from 3 straight 9-loss seasons in debut year in ACC

Stanford has far bigger concerns headed into coach Troy Taylor’s second season on The Farm than the new opponents and increased travel that come with the move to the ACC.

The NFL says moving the touchback on kickoffs to the 35 is ‘not likely’ this season

The NFL’s new dynamic kickoff is achieving its goals in the preseason of raising the rate of return and the threat of big plays after years of increasing touchbacks.

Cal looks to build on strong finish in 2023 as the Golden Bears begin 1st season in ACC

There is reason for optimism for California headed into its first season in the ACC. The Golden Bears had a strong finish to their final season in the Pac-12, winning their final three regular-season games to go to a bowl game for the first time since 2019.

Derek Carr leads 95-yard touchdown drive, but Saints fall 16-10 to 49ers

Derek Carr and the New Orleans starting offense finally got going with a 95-yard touchdown drive against San Francisco’s backup defenders but the 49ers beat the Saints 16-10.

The 49ers plan to play Brock Purdy and other starters in exhibition game against the Saints

After canceling joint practices this week because of a litany of injuries, San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan plans to play several of his starters, including quarterback Brock Purdy, in an exhibition game against the New Orleans Saints.

Brandon Aiyuk appears at 49ers practice as a spectator as his ‘hold in’ enters a 4th week

Star receiver Brandon Aiyuk was back out at San Francisco 49ers practice as a spectator as his contract hold in enters a fourth week still in search of a resolution.

The injury-riddled 49ers lose DT Kalia Davis for half the season with a knee injury

San Francisco defensive tackle Kalia Davis will need to undergo surgery on his knee after getting hurt in the exhibition opener in the latest injury to hit the 49ers.

First full weekend of new NFL kickoff rule brings 2 long returns and plenty of confusion

The first full weekend of exhibition games featuring the NFL’s new dynamic kickoff featured two long returns, a significant drop in touchbacks and mass confusion on an odd play that ended up as a rare safety.

The 49ers and the Saints cancel joint practices because of injuries for San Francisco

The San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints canceled their scheduled joint practices for this week with the Niners dealing with several nagging injuries.

Contract holdouts and hold-ins cast a shadow over NFL contenders

Contract disputes are playing a prominent role across the NFL this summer. Some of the top contenders to compete for the Super Bowl are headed into the first full weekend of exhibition games with some of their most important players unwilling to take the practice field before they get new contracts.

49ers place Drake Jackson on a season-ending injury list

The San Francisco 49ers placed defensive end Drake Jackson on a season-ending injury list in the latest setback for the team’s 2022 second-round pick.

Slimmer Deebo Samuel impressing the 49ers at training camp with Brandon Aiyuk out

Deebo Samuel has looked like a different person since arriving for the offseason program this spring for the San Francisco 49ers.

3 years after the NFL added a 17th game, the push for an 18th gets stronger

The debate about whether the NFL will expand the regular season once again seems to have been resolved and now it’s a matter of how soon the league adds an 18th game.

49ers RB Christian McCaffrey will miss about 2 weeks with a calf injury

San Francisco 49ers All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey will miss about two weeks of practice after straining his calf.

49ers coach Kyle Shanahan says ‘nothing has changed’ regarding a trade or a new contract for Aiyuk

Two weeks after the San Francisco 49ers reported to training camp there has been no change in the status of Brandon Aiyuk despite trade rumors swirling around the star disgruntled wide receiver.

49ers QB Brock Purdy shows benefits of healthy offseason early in training camp

Brock Purdy stayed on the field after a recent practice for some extra work, making throws on the run in hopes of improving his accuracy and timing in that aspect of his game.

Flaherty sharp in his Dodgers debut and Ohtani reaches 30-30 club in a 10-0 win over the Athletics

Jack Flaherty pitched six sharp innings in his Dodgers debut and Los Angeles snapped a three-game losing streak by beating the Oakland Athletics 10-0.

Shohei Ohtani steals 3 bases to reach the 30-30 club

Shohei Ohtani’s debut season with the Los Angeles Dodgers put him in rare company. The Japanese star stole three bases against the Oakland Athletics to give him 31 steals on the season, along with his 33 home runs.

The Athletics hit 3 homers to beat the struggling Dodgers 6-5

Brent Rooker hit his 27th homer of the season and the Oakland Athletics added two more long balls to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-5.

Rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall is impressing the 49ers early in training camp

The decision to draft receiver Ricky Pearsall 31st overall looked like a luxury more than an immediate need for the San Francisco 49ers back in April.

2nd-year NFL players poised for a breakout include Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Will McDonald, Luke Musgrave

Some players like C.J. Stroud and Puka Nacua are able to come into the NFL and become immediate stars as rookies.

Backup QB Joshua Dobbs seeks stability with the 49ers after whirlwind 2023 season with 3 teams

Joshua Dobbs spent the 2023 season learning different NFL offenses on the fly. He hopes that experience helps him master coach Kyle Shanahan’s complex offense with the San Francisco 49ers enough to win the backup job behind Brock Purdy.

Kyle Juszczyk says taking a pay cut hurt but he did it to stay with the 49ers

Kyle Juszczyk took a blow to his psyche early this offseason when San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch came to him following a seventh straight Pro Bowl season and told him he would need to take a pay cut in order to stay with the team.

How will kickoffs look different in 2024 and what other rule changes are coming to the NFL

The NFL will have a new look this year when it comes to kickoffs. Owners voted this spring to overhaul the kickoff, hoping to revive a play that had little action last season after most kicks resulted in no returns.

Patrick Willis’ short but impactful career leads him to Hall of Fame

From the day he stepped into the NFL until a foot injury forced him into retirement after eight brilliant seasons as a do-everything linebacker, Patrick Willis succeeded at the highest level.

49ers right guard Spencer Burford could miss a few weeks with a broken right hand

San Francisco 49ers right guard Spencer Burford will miss a few weeks of training camp with a broken right hand.

2020 QB draft class cashes in with more than $1.2 billion in contract extensions

The 2020 quarterback draft class is well on its way to being the highest-paid group of QBs from any draft in NFL history.