The 49ers’ first 53-man roster offered a pretty clear clue about George Kittle’s Week 1 outlook: San Francisco is not treating his availability as a sure thing.
The biggest tell is Brayden Willis. The 49ers kept four tight ends on the initial roster - Kittle, Jake Tonges, Luke Farrell and Willis - and that extra body suggests the team is at least planning for the possibility that Kittle won’t be ready in Australia against the Los Angeles Rams.
Kittle, Tonges and Farrell were all expected to make the cut. Willis is the one who stands out.
If San Francisco were fully confident Kittle would suit up, Willis probably would have been cut or moved to the practice squad. Instead, he’s on the roster, which points to some caution behind the scenes.
Willis has been with the 49ers since 2023, when the team picked him in the seventh round of the NFL Draft. He still hasn’t caught a pass in a regular-season game, though he has been targeted a couple of times.
His appeal has always been tied to his size and athletic flashes, the kind he tends to show in training camp with a play or two that reminds everyone why he stuck around. The problem is consistency, and that has kept him from climbing the depth chart.
If Kittle can’t go, Willis would give San Francisco a workable No. 3 option. He can block, even if Kyle Shanahan likely wouldn’t design many plays for him. Tonges, Farrell and fullback/Swiss Army man Kyle Juszczyk would be expected to handle most of the load if Kittle is out, but Willis gives the 49ers another layer of insurance.
That uncertainty matters because Kittle has made strong progress coming back from the Achilles tear he suffered earlier this year. Still, Shanahan’s recent comments added some fog to the picture, and San Francisco can’t afford to gamble unless Kittle is fully right.
If there’s any doubt, the safer move might be to keep him off the plane to Melbourne and aim for Week 2 instead, when the 49ers return home to Santa Clara. For now, Willis being on the roster says enough: the 49ers are preparing for the possibility that Kittle is not ready for a big divisional opener with major NFC West implications down the line.
In Other News...
49ers Got Unexpected Help From A Rival Before Their Australia Trip
The 49ers are getting ready for an unusual start to the season, and a little help from an AFC West rival has made the logistics easier. General manager John Lynch said the Raiders agreed to shift their preseason matchup to Thursday night, giving San Francisco a better runway before its trip to Australia for a Week 1 game.
As the home team, Las Vegas could have kept the game on a weekend, but instead cooperated with the 49ers to help them handle the time-zone change and the demands of roster preparation. Lynch said he appreciated the Raiders' partnership in making the schedule adjustment, a small but meaningful edge as San Francisco manages the lead-up to one of the league's most unusual early-season travel plans. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Suddenly Have A Real Rams Problem Before The Opener
John Lynch did not sound surprised to hear Aaron Donald is planning a comeback, but he also did not pretend it was a shrug for the 49ers. Speaking at a press conference, the San Francisco general manager called Donald an exceptional player and made clear the team has to account for the possibility of seeing him again when the 2026 NFL season arrives. For a 49ers defense that has spent years game-planning around the Rams star, the news brings an old headache right back into focus.
Donald has already been practicing at the 49ers' training facility, which only adds to the intrigue around how quickly he might factor back into the division race. For now, though, there is still uncertainty about whether he would play right away, leaving San Francisco in the uncomfortable spot of preparing for one of the NFL's most disruptive defenders without knowing exactly when the challenge turns real. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Pass Rush Plan Could Be Huge For Nick Bosas Return
Following the roster cutdown to 53 players, Raheem Morris had plenty to like about the shape of the 49ers defensive line, a group that has stayed deep even as injuries have made the unit harder to sort through. The defensive coordinator pointed to the mix of returning players and newcomers as a real strength, saying he has a plan for how those pieces will fit together as San Francisco tries to keep building on the progress the defense showed in 2025.
For the 49ers, that matters because the pass rush has long been the engine of the defense, and a deeper rotation can help keep everyone fresher over the course of the season. It also creates a more interesting picture around Nick Bosas return, since Morris approach could shape how the rush is deployed once he is back in the fold and the group is at full strength. [Read more 🡒]