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San Francisco 49ers receiver Mike Evans during an NFL game.

The San Francisco 49ers did not need to wait until training camp to identify one of their biggest offensive tests in 2026.

Offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak made it clear during his May 7 press conference that the Seattle Seahawks showed the 49ers exactly where they needed to get better. Asked what stood out after San Francisco reviewed its late-season game against Seattle, Kubiak pointed to two connected problems: the 49ers needed to run the ball more effectively, and they needed more answers against Seattle’s outside coverage.

“When you look at our games against them last year overall, you know, they’re talented across the board defensively, but there’s things you got to do to beat those guys,” Kubiak said. “You got to run the ball better because they want to play their two-shell defenses.”

Kubiak did not stop there.

“You got to beat their corners,” he added. “They have great corners that want to challenge you one-on-one. You got to get players who can win one-on-one matchups and who you can make plays to on the outside. I think we tried to address that.”

That is about as direct as an offseason blueprint gets.

Klay Kubiak Says 49ers Needed More Outside Answers

Kubiak’s answer matters because it tied San Francisco’s offseason movement to a specific opponent and a specific problem.

Seattle’s defensive structure forced the 49ers to prove they could punish lighter looks with the run game. When San Francisco could not consistently do that, the passing game also had to win isolated matchups on the outside. Kubiak’s answer suggested the 49ers did not believe they had enough dependable answers there.

That helps explain the enthusiasm around Mike Evans.

Kubiak called Evans a “Hall of Fame wide receiver” and described him as the kind of one-on-one matchup player the 49ers can trust when defenses leave him isolated.

“He’s a one-on-one matchup that you can take advantage of when he’s on the field and he’s got one-on-one coverage,” Kubiak said. “You want to get the ball to Mike. You feel like he’s going to win.”

Kubiak also called Evans an “alpha type of player” at the position, which is notable in this context. The 49ers did not just add a name. They added a receiver whose job description directly fits the problem Kubiak said Seattle created.

The 49ers also drafted wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling, whom Kubiak described as a “big, fast, powerful football player” who can affect the offense with the ball, as a route runner and without the ball in his hands. That last part matters in San Francisco’s system, where blocking and physicality at wide receiver often determine whether the run game and screen game can stay on schedule.

Seattle Put the 49ers’ Run Game Back Under the Microscope

The receiver piece is only half of the issue.

Kubiak’s first answer was still about running the ball better, and that is where Christian McCaffrey’s workload becomes part of the story.

The 49ers have talked for years about keeping McCaffrey fresh, but Kubiak acknowledged the challenge of actually taking one of the NFL’s best backs off the field.

“It is challenging because you’re talking about a player who does not want to come off the field,” Kubiak said.

Still, Kubiak said the 49ers must do a better job as coaches of creating “a better rotation.” He specifically pointed to young backs needing to produce more, putting the responsibility on the staff to make the plan real once the season begins.

That is where rookie running back Kaelon Black could enter the picture. Kubiak said Black grew on the 49ers during the evaluation process because he “got the most out of every run” and could turn poorly blocked plays into useful gains.

That kind of back matters in a game like the one Kubiak described. Against defenses that want to keep a shell over the top and challenge offenses to stay patient, four- and five-yard runs can be just as important as explosive plays. They force the defense to adjust. They keep Brock Purdy out of obvious passing situations. They make outside one-on-one shots more manageable.

The Seahawks Are More Than Just a Division Rival for the 49ers

The most interesting part of Kubiak’s answer was not that he praised Seattle. It was that he described the Seahawks as a team whose defensive style forced San Francisco to self-scout honestly.

Kubiak was careful not to declare the problem solved.

“I’m not going to sit and say we’ve solved all those problems,” he said. “We got to get better as a team and compete better.”

That is the right tone for May. The 49ers have added pieces, but the proof will come when Seattle and other top defenses force San Francisco to win the same way: run into lighter boxes, beat man coverage outside and make disciplined quarterback decisions from the pocket.

For fans, that makes Kubiak’s comments more meaningful than standard offseason optimism.

The 49ers are not just talking about getting more explosive or adding talent. Their offensive coordinator essentially named the test: Seattle showed them the holes, and San Francisco spent the offseason trying to close them.