The 49ers’ preseason opener offered a little bit of everything, from encouraging flashes to a few reminders of how thin the margins are in August. It also put a spotlight on a pair of players whose paths to this point have been anything but ordinary.
Robert Jones is trying to carve out a job in the NFL after a recovery process that would test just about anybody. He spent four months using a bone-stimulation machine to help the healing process, made regular hospital trips for two-hour sessions in a hyperbaric chamber and couldn’t run again until he was cleared in March. Even then, the first padded practice of training camp brought the obvious mental hurdle.
“When we got to training camp and it was the first padded practice, it was in my head: ‘I do have to hit again,’” Jones said. “I was a little cautious, but once I got going, I felt good.
After I got that first hit in, it helped my confidence. I knew I was good, I was healthy and I was able to do this.”
That Jones is even in this position says plenty about the road he’s taken. He didn’t play organized football until his junior year at Rockford (Ill.)
East High School, didn’t move to offensive line until his freshman year at Highland (Kan.) Community College and went undrafted after two seasons at Middle Tennessee State.
“The NFL was never really on my radar,” Jones said. “I was really using football as a vehicle to get my degree. I tried to lock in on that while I was still learning the sport.”
His childhood dream was basketball, but that path ended when he didn’t make his high school team because he was deemed too big. Football arrived soon after, thanks to assistant coach David Hampton, a former NFL running back.
“He told me, ‘Man, you’ve got to play football. You’re a walking meal ticket,’ Jones said.
Even that didn’t come with instant success. As a junior, Jones was a backup defensive lineman and quit after about five games because his mom was “terrified” about her only son playing such a violent sport.
He came back, earned a starting spot as a senior, then shifted to the offensive line at Highland. It still took time before things started to click; he didn’t start until his sophomore year.
“After that,” Jones said, “the rest is history.”
His history also includes a frightening injury from last year, when he broke his neck early in practice and didn’t realize how serious it was at first. Jones thought he had a shoulder stinger, kept working with a teammate after practice and only later went to trainers, who sent him for a CT scan.
“That’s when they told me: ‘You broke your C5,’” Jones said.”
The preseason also gave the 49ers a look at some younger players trying to make their mark. One of them was Eason, who flashed enough to stand out in the game.
He sniffed out a screen and forced an incompletion, something Kris Kocurek will appreciate. He also held up against double teams, pushed the pocket against rookie Jackson Slater and looked comfortable in his debut.
Jordan Watkins continued to build momentum as well. The fourth-round pick from Ole Miss in the 2025 NFL Draft said his diet has been a major reason he’s stayed healthy through camp.
“I think my diet has been a big part of me being able to stay healthy, especially getting through this camp,” he said. “I’m a really big sweet tea drinker, and I’m trying to stay away from sweet tea and sweet coffee.”
Watkins said he played last season at around 195 pounds. This year, his weight has been in the 202 to 205 range, and he’s also lowered his body fat. His meals are built around protein, with carbohydrates mostly cut out except for breakfast, and he said steak, chicken and vegetables make up most of what he eats.
That reset has come with added responsibilities, too. Watkins is competing to become the team’s primary punt returner, and he handled two punts on Thursday night, with one fair catch and one 4-yard return.
“It’s been a fun journey, and I feel like I’m getting better,” said Watkins, who ran a time of 4.37 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. “Knowing that everybody in the stadium is looking at you, and everyone on the sideline is expecting you to catch the ball. It’s just you and the ball.”
The game’s PFF numbers also pointed to a couple of standouts on defense. Defensive tackle Gracen Halton was the 49ers’ highest-graded run defender at 75.0 and finished with a game-high four stops. Cornerback Darrell Luter Jr. was next with a 74.1 run-defense grade.
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