The 49ers got through Week 1 against the Rams without a major setback for George Kittle, but they may have a much different problem to sort out at tight end after Jake Tonges went down.
Kittle, making his first appearance since tearing his Achilles in January, was on a snap count and looked a little rusty. Still, San Francisco appears to have avoided the nightmare scenario there. Tonges, though, was another story.
Late in the first half, he tried to block Myles Garrett and injured his leg in the process. Tonges had to head to the locker room, and Kyle Shanahan said after the game that it did not look good and had to do with his MCL in his knee.
There’s no word yet on how serious the injury is, but if Tonges is forced to miss significant time, the 49ers need to move quickly on a replacement.
Two names stand out.
Zach Ertz has been a logical fit for a while, and that case only got stronger. He worked out at Stanford recently after coming off an ACL tear, and he’d give San Francisco a proven veteran who could help ease Kittle back into a lighter workload. With Tonges sidelined, Ertz would also give the Niners a steadier insurance policy at the position.
Ross Dwelley is the other possibility, and it would be a familiar one. He spent time with the 49ers from 2018 to 2023, then came back briefly for training camp and the preseason last year before getting cut. Now a free agent, Dwelley wouldn’t bring the same upside as Ertz, but he knows the offense and is a favorite of Kittle, which at least gives San Francisco another workable depth option.
If Tonges is out for a while, the 49ers need to act. Ertz and Dwelley look like the most sensible answers, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if San Francisco adds one of them soon.
In Other News...
Christian McCaffrey Shared The Australia Moment He Never Saw Coming
Christian McCaffreys first trip to Australia for the 49ers season opener gave him more than a win over the Rams. After the game in Melbourne, he spent part of his postgame session talking about the lighter side of the trip, from the local coffee to a barber who gave his haircut a review that caught him off guard. It was the kind of off-field moment that usually gets lost in a long road trip, except this one had enough charm to stick.
McCaffrey said the barber called the cut cracker, Australian slang for excellent, and he seemed to enjoy the brief culture lesson as much as the coffee. For a player whose production still mattered in San Franciscos victory, it was a reminder that the teams first game abroad came with a little more texture than the scoreboard alone showed. The football part was straightforward enough, but the travel story added a different kind of memory to the opener. [Read more 🡒]
Steve Young Just Sent 49ers Fans A Strong Week 1 Message
The 49ers opened the season with a convincing 27-7 win over the Rams, the kind of early statement that can make a team look every bit like a contender. It also gave fans a first glimpse of what this group can be when the roster is intact, with the usual mix of talent, depth and big-game expectations attached to it.
Steve Youngs postgame message served as a reminder that the real challenge for San Francisco is rarely about upside. The former quarterback pointed to the obvious strength of the roster while noting how often injuries have complicated things for this team, which is why the path to another Super Bowl run still has to be handled week by week. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Just Found An International Edge Rams Fans Hate
The 49ers did not just show up in Australia for a game, they treated the trip like a chance to make a first impression that could last. While the Rams opted to arrive late for their NFL date down under, San Francisco got there early and worked the local scene, a contrast that gave the 49ers a chance to feel less like visitors and more like a team willing to meet the country halfway.
For a franchise always looking to widen its reach, that kind of approach matters. It helped the 49ers build more support in Australia while leaving the Rams to wonder whether they had passed on a rare opportunity to grow a fanbase in a market still figuring out which NFL team to adopt. [Read more 🡒]