The 49ers’ edge-rush depth took another blow late Wednesday night, when multiple team reporters said Sam Okuayinonu is not traveling with the club to Australia because of a foot injury.
That puts Okuayinonu on the questionable list for Week 1, and while there’s still a chance he could make the trip later and be available, the early read isn’t encouraging. NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco reported that everyone else traveled.
It leaves San Francisco in a tight spot at a position that was already running thin. Nick Bosa got back into team drills for the first time during Wednesday’s practice, which is obviously a positive sign, but it still feels like a stretch to expect him to get fully into football shape in just one week.
Bosa and Okuayinonu were projected to be the first two defensive ends on the field, and they’re also the group’s best run defenders - and maybe the only dependable ones. Keion White is more of an inside fit, while Romello Height, who flashed and held up well against the run in the preseason, was brought in to get after the passer.
The 49ers were already likely to call up Ogbo Okoronkwo from the practice squad before Okuayinonu got hurt. Now, if Sam O can’t go, that move feels unavoidable.
And there could be another domino to fall if Height keeps missing practice with an ankle injury.
In a perfect setup, Okuayinonu would handle early downs while White and Height rotated in on passing situations. Without Okuayinonu - and maybe without Height, too - White may have to spend most of his time coming off the edge because San Francisco simply won’t have enough bodies there. That could push defensive tackles Alfred Collins and CJ West into heavier work on passing downs.
It may also force the 49ers to reveal sooner than expected how much Morris trusts rookie Jaden Dugger. Injuries could push San Francisco toward more five-man fronts with Dugger down on the line, and that possibility was already there even before Okuayinonu and Height got banged up, given how often the Rams use three-tight-end packages.
In Other News...
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Jed Yorks recent legal trouble has already put the 49ers in an awkward spot, but the more immediate concern inside the organization may be what happens around the business side of the franchise if his presence stays limited. General manager John Lynch has said the team is preparing for possible league discipline while football operations continue under executive Al Guido, a setup that keeps the day-to-day work moving even as the owners status hangs over the building.
For now, the 49ers say the locker room and team activities have not been affected, which is the kind of answer clubs tend to give when they want the football to stay separate from everything else. Still, this is not just about the arrest itself. It is about how much of Yorks role can be carried out from a distance, how the league responds, and whether a franchise used to having its owner close at hand can keep functioning smoothly if that becomes the new normal. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Week 1 Could Hinge On A Rams Discipline Decision
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For San Francisco, the timing matters almost as much as the ruling itself. The NFL has shown before that suspensions can land in early September, but there has been no official announcement yet, leaving the 49ers to prepare for a division game with one more layer of uncertainty than usual. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Australia Plan Could Create A Huge Rams Debate
The 49ers trip to Australia for their 2026 season opener is already shaping up to be more than just a long-haul curiosity. San Francisco and the Los Angeles Rams are set to open the NFL regular season in Melbourne on Sept. 10, and the contrast in travel plans has become part of the conversation before either team boards a plane.
The Rams intend to arrive the day before the game and leave immediately afterward, while the 49ers are planning to get there several days early to adjust to the time difference. That difference has prompted some outside debate about which approach is smarter for handling jetlag, with neurologist W. Christopher Winter suggesting the Rams shorter stay could actually be the better way to manage the trip. [Read more 🡒]