The 49ers are into training camp, but two names fans expected to track right away are still stuck on the Active/PUP List: George Kittle and Mykel Williams.
That status matters because both players can be activated whenever their rehab gets far enough along, and once that happens they can jump back into practice immediately. For now, though, San Francisco is waiting on two key pieces it plans to lean on heavily this season.
Williams is working back from a torn ACL he suffered in Week 9 on November 2, 2025. Kittle, meanwhile, is recovering from the Achilles injury he picked up in the playoffs in January 2026.
Kittle’s path back could be the trickier one early on. The 49ers are scheduled to play in Australia in Week 1, and that trip could make it harder for him to be ready right out of the gate. On Williams, John Lynch said, “he’s making every effort to be ready for Week 1.”
Once the regular season starts, the Active/PUP designation disappears. If either player still hasn’t shown enough progress to return within the first four games, San Francisco would have to move Williams and Kittle to the Reserve/PUP list, which would rule them out for those first four contests.
If the 49ers think one of them has a real shot to play in Week 2 or Week 3, they’ll have to make some short-term roster decisions and decide where they can afford to be thin until that player is back.
In Other News...
49ers Safety Battle May Already Be Tilting In One Direction
Early in 49ers training camp, the safety picture is starting to take shape, and JiAyir Brown has been the clearest beneficiary so far. Brown has handled all the first-team reps at free safety, a sign he may be setting himself apart in the competition, and he also came up with an interception in Mondays session. It is still the first stretch of camp, but those are the kinds of snaps that tend to matter when coaches begin sorting out roles.
The other side of the equation remains less settled, with Malik Mustapha and Marquese Sigle rotating at strong safety while Brown stays planted on the back end. Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris addressed the competition in broad terms, but he did not offer much in the way of clarity on how the starting jobs are lining up. For now, the 49ers at least appear to have one spot leaning in a direction, even if the full answer is still in progress. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Add Defender Who Could Stir A Familiar Debate On Defense
The 49ers have added another piece to their defensive mix, signing former Dolphins pass rusher Quinton Bell to a one-year contract. A seventh-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, Bell has bounced from Miami to Atlanta and back into the market as a player whose value has always been tied as much to his athletic profile as to any one fixed position.
What makes Bell interesting in San Francisco is the same thing that has followed him around the league: he has been used mostly as an edge rusher and linebacker, but his background invites bigger questions about how far a coaching staff can stretch a defender who can move around. The 49ers have often leaned into that kind of flexibility, and Bell arrives with the sort of versatility that can open a familiar debate about where exactly he fits best. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Fans Are Livid Over What Stayed Hidden About Shanahan
The latest flare-up around Kyle Shanahan has less to do with the 49ers on-field plans than with how information moves in the NFLs slowest stretches. ESPN insider Adam Schefter said the team kept the incident private during a quiet period on the league calendar, a reminder that not every story breaks on the same timetable as a roster move or injury update.
49ers fans have not been interested in that explanation, and plenty have aimed their frustration at Schefter for the delay. Some have gone further, arguing that he may have held back to protect access to the team, which is exactly the kind of tension that keeps resurfacing whenever a reporters role as a gatekeeper collides with the publics right to know. [Read more 🡒]