ESPN analyst Bill Barnwell has no doubt about the NFL's best player through the first four games of the 2026 season: San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy.
Barnwell announced his 2026 NFL quarter-season awards, naming Purdy his Most Valuable Player.
"Through four games, there's Purdy, and then, there's everybody else," Barnwell wrote. "There are virtually no negative plays in his game outside of one interception in the Week 1 win over the Rams. He hasn't thrown an interception since. He hasn't fumbled. And he became the first QB to throw at least 50 passes over the first quarter of a season without taking a sack since Peyton Manning did it in 2004."
Purdy has been remarkable in 2026, completing 69.9 percent of his passes for 1,007 yards, 11 touchdowns, and one interception while posting an NFL-best 126.2 passer rating. He has also carried the ball 20 times for 122 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Barnwell believes Purdy has had the highest ceiling of any quarterback this season, noting that the 49ers quarterback has posted an NFL-leading 89.7 QBR, the fifth-best mark by any quarterback through the first four weeks of a season since 2007. His 0.53 EPA per dropback is also the best mark through four games over the past decade.
"Purdy's blessed to have great playmakers at multiple spots in the lineup and a wizard of an offensive architect in Kyle Shanahan," Barnwell continued, "but he's doing this with a revolving door at wide receiver and a run game that's 16th in the league in EPA per designed rush attempt. He's setting the pace for the rest of the league."
Other 49ers mentioned in the 2026 NFL quarter-season awards
Purdy isn't the only 49ers player leading an award category. Barnwell has offensive tackle Trent Williams leading the Protector of the Year category.
"Complete and utter dominance," Barnwell wrote. "Williams, like every other member of the San Francisco offensive line, has not allowed a sack this season. The future Hall of Famer has allowed just one quick pressure despite being on an island on 87.6% of his pass-protection opportunities, the highest rate of any lineman. The only blemish you can hang on Williams is that he left the 36-30 win over the Cardinals with an injury and missed 22 snaps. Given that he's the best tackle in football at age 38, I'm willing to give him some benefit of the doubt."
While no other 49ers players took the top spot in the other award categories, others landed in the top three. Linebacker Fred Warner is No. 2 for Comeback Player of the Year, while tight end George Kittle sits one spot behind him.
Warner is returning from a dislocated and fractured ankle and has played at his usual high level, remaining one of the NFL's most valuable defenders.
"The 49ers are a completely different defense with their star linebacker on the field, with Warner's ability to read and defend route distributions over the middle remaining world-class," Barnwell wrote.
Kittle suffered an Achilles injury in the playoffs last season but still managed to be ready for Week 1. He is averaging 3.3 yards per route run, the best mark among all tight ends, and has four touchdowns through four games, showing no signs that the injury has slowed him down.
"Healthy tight ends typically lose a fair amount of their steam as they approach their mid-30s," Barnwell wrote. "Kittle, somehow, is coming off a torn Achilles he suffered in the postseason and hasn't skipped a beat."
Kyle Shanahan in Barnwell's top 3 for Coach of the Year
No one can ignore the job head coach Kyle Shanahan is doing, leading the 49ers to a 4-0 record and the top spot in the NFC West standings.
Barnwell believes Shanahan may be at his peak as a game planner and offensive play-caller.
"Who needs wide receivers?" Barnwell wrote. "With everyone from Mike Evans to De'Zhaun Stribling to Christian Kirk sidelined for some or all of the first four games, Shanahan has pieced together a wildly impressive start to the season. The competition hasn't necessarily been the stiffest if you treat the Rams in Australia as jet-lagged tourists, but the 49ers lead the league in most offensive categories.
"With ever-changing options at receiver, Shanahan has built the passing attack around a big four of Evans, George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel Sr., who have 85 of San Francisco's 110 targets this season. Shanahan has done a great job of keeping pressure off Brock Purdy, who hasn't been sacked.
"The Niners are using motion at the second-highest rate in the league (75.4%), which is throwing off defenses and creating easy completions for Purdy. The Niners are also using more motion with Kittle and Kyle Juszczyk to create favorable blocking angles in their run game, although Juszczyk is the latest 49ers player to go down with an injury."
More info on: Mike Evans, Kyle Juszczyk, Christian Kirk, George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey, Brock Purdy, Deebo Samuel, De'Zhaun Stribling, Fred Warner, Trent Williams
Comments