The Week 1 availability of defensive end Nick Bosa and tight end George Kittle has been a key on-field storyline for the 49ers this offseason, as they will want all hands on deck in their season opener against the division-rival Rams. It sounds as if both stars will be in the lineup for the matchup with the current Super Bowl favorites.
The Rams and Niners kick off the 2026 campaign in Australia, and San Francisco made the trip down under on Wednesday. Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network says both Kittle and Bosa were on the flight, and that is particularly relevant for Kittle, because the 15-hour journey was viewed as a possible hurdle to his Week 1 participation.
Per Rapoport, Kittle had two positive days of practice in advance of the trip and is trending towards playing. Rapoport was less definitive about Bosa’s playing status, but ESPN’s Nick Wagoner says Bosa “felt great” during Wednesday’s practice and expects to play.
After landing on IR with a hamstring injury last September, Kittle closed the regular season with two torn ankle ligaments. While he returned for San Francisco’s wild-card win in Philadelphia, the Achilles tear he sustained in that game came to define his offseason. He spent much of training camp on the active/PUP list but was activated towards the end of August.
Following four consecutive seasons that ended in Pro Bowl and/or All-Pro acclaim, Bosa tore his right ACL in Week 3 of the 2025 slate. Though he was cleared for the start of training camp this summer, he missed some practice time due to tendonitis (which head coach Kyle Shanahan said is highly common for his players when they are rehabbing injuries).
Bosa’s return to form as one of the best pass rushers in the league will obviously be instrumental in the Niners’ push for another playoff berth, and his early-season involvement will be especially critical in light of Mykel Williams’ own health woes. Williams, a 2025 first-rounder, tore his ACL in November and landed on the reserve/PUP list on cutdown day, meaning he will miss the first four games of the upcoming season.
Keion White, who was shot in the ankle in February and who missed a week of training camp due to an adductor injury, recently opened up about the shooting (though he declined to identify his assailant). Per Vic Tafur of The Athletic, White — who had two screws inserted into his ankle — will be ready to go for Week 1, and the Niners will be counting on him since Bosa is likely to be on a snap count and since Williams and Sam Okuayinonu are on reserve lists. Rookie Romello Height is also contending with an ankle injury.
