49ers’ Rookie DT Gracen Halton Out For Season

Injury issues have continuously plagued the 49ers in recent history. Their misfortunes continue to develop as ESPN’s Nick Wagoner reported after today’s game that rookie defensive tackle Gracen Halton will miss the remainder of the season with a broken ankle.

The 49ers struggled to get quality play out of their defensive line in 2025, so they decided to invest in the group in this year’s draft. They drafted Texas Tech defensive end Romello Height in the third round and Halton 37 picks later. The depth the two added quickly proved crucial as the defensive line began to gradually break down due to injury. Once Halton lands on injured reserve, he will be the 16th player on the team’s list, but he will also become the sixth defensive lineman on the list.

It’s likely for that reason that Halton has made such an impact in his rookie campaign. The fourth-round pick out of Oklahoma has started seven of nine game appearances in his first season of NFL play. Over that time, he’s proven to be effectively disruptive, registering two sacks, five tackles for loss, and two quarterback hits in the half-season sample.

He made highlight reels in Week 5 when the Seahawks, trying to run down the clock to halftime, handed the ball off to George Holani with 18 seconds left on the clock from their own four-yard line. Halton burst into the backfield, forcing a Holani fumble, and and recorded his first NFL touchdown with a recovery.

Halton was not in the starting lineup for today’s game as the DeForest Buckner has regained a starting role since reuniting with the team that drafted him. Buckner will continue to start next to Osa Odighizuwa for the foreseeable future, until some bodies start to come off IR in San Francisco. The loss of Halton hurts the 49ers’ depth on the interior defensive line, though, and they’ll have to rely more now on players like Sebastian Valdez and James Thompson Jr.

The 49ers know the drill at this point. Halton will start working his way back for his sophomore campaign as one of several injured Niners. San Francisco will continue to roll with the punches, though, as they continue to win games despite the reduced number.