The 49ers are heading into Week 1 against the Rams in Australia with a hit to their defensive line depth, and this one comes with a much longer recovery timeline than they’d hoped.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan said defensive end Sam Okuayinonu broke his foot, and he didn’t sugarcoat it, calling it a “bad injury.” San Francisco is still holding out hope that Okuayinonu can get back later in the season, but for now the damage is clear: one of the team’s more useful rotational pieces is out, and the line is already thin with Mykel Williams beginning the year on the Physically Unable to Perform list.
Okuayinonu did not travel with the 49ers and was placed on Injured Reserve over the weekend. The team responded by signing defensive end Khalid Kareem to the practice squad, and he could be in line to play as soon as Week 1.
Right now, the healthy defensive ends on the roster are Keion White, Nick Bosa, Romello Height, and Kareem, while the healthy interior linemen are Osa Odighizuwa, Alfred Collins, C.J. West, Gracen Halton, and James Thompson Jr.
For Okuayinonu, the setback interrupts what had been a steady rise with San Francisco. The 28-year-old had become one of the team’s better under-the-radar success stories, giving the 49ers a flexible piece who could kick inside on passing downs. Last season, he finished with 39 tackles, three sacks, and a forced fumble.
Matt Barrows reported that the injury happened in practice last week when Okuayinonu, who previously had a plate in his foot, was stepped on. He is scheduled to have surgery and is expected to miss a significant portion of the 2026 season.
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