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5 49ers Who Disappointed in Preseason Loss to Titans

Aug 6, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Robert Jones (65) during training camp at SAP Performance Facility. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

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5 49ers Who Disappointed in Preseason Loss to Titans

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Bryce Lazenby | Last updated Aug 14, 2026 3:15 PM ET

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The San Francisco 49ers got the preseason rolling on Thursday night against the Tennessee Titans. The 49ers ended up losing 19-13, in a game where they didn't play almost any of their starters.

Wins and losses don't matter in the preseason, obviously. These games are all about evaluation and seeing who can step up and claim jobs. The 49ers definitely had a few guys help their causes, but a few others went the opposite direction.

Today, we're going to identify five players who had disappointing showings to kick off the preseason.

RB Patrick Taylor Jr.

The top of the 49ers' depth chart is set, but there is seemingly at least one spot up for grabs. Patrick Taylor Jr. is one of the players fighting that spot, and he a big opportunity on Thursday night.

However, Taylor had a game to forget. The Memphis product did find the endzone, but he ended with -5 yards on five carries. The blocking in front of him was far from great, but it still would have been nice to see the veteran make some plays. There's not much to get excited about behind Christian McCaffrey and rookie Kaelon Black at running back.

LG Robert Jones

For much of the offseason, Connor Colby was the favorite to win the left guard spot for the 49ers. Then, this week, Robert Jones suddenly leaped Colby on the depth chart. A strong performance against the Titans could have cemented Jones' standing above Colby.

Instead, Jones had a miserable showing. The veteran earned the lowest Pro Football Focus grade, 34.1, of any 49er. It wasn't due to a small sample size, either, as Jones played 44 snaps. Colby, meanwhile, earned a 75.4 grade in the same number of snaps.

It might be time to worry about the left guard position.

TE Brayden Willis

Brayden Willis was firmly on the bubble entering this game, and he might no longer be. And not in a good way.

Willis earned a horrible 45.7 PFF grade in a decent sample size of 34 snaps. The tight end was unable to reel in either of his two targets and he ended the game without producing a stat. The tight end also had a bad night as a blocker, which is disappointing considering the improvement he had shown this summer.

DT Alfred Collins

Jul 24, 2025; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive end Alfred Collins (95) swats at a ball during a pass rushing drill on the second day of training camp. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images© D&period; Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

Alfred Collins is penciled in as a starter on the defensive line and the team hopes he can take a jump in 2026. The former second-round pick definitely didn't take a step forward in this game, though.

Collins didn't record a stat despite playing 18 snaps and ended with a horrific 28.2 PFF grade. Garrett Wallow was the only 49ers' defender to earn a lower grade. That's not encouraging as the 49ers desperately need Collins to live up to his draft status in 2026.

DE Romello Height

Romello Height is another young defender the 49ers will be relying on in 2026. The rookie has a big opportunity to secure a rotational pass rusher spot, but he's going to have to be better than he was Thursday.

Height played 18 snaps and earned a poor 35.4 PFF grade. Height collected just one tackle on the night, which is disappointing considering he was going against the Titans' backups and third stringers.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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