Jul 24, 2025; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive ends Nick Bosa (97) and Mykel Williams (98) watch their teammates during pass rushing drills on the second day of training camp. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

Four injury updates that make the 49ers preseason opener less exciting

Originally posted on San Francisco 49ers on SI
By Parker Hurley | Last updated Aug 8, 2025 4:31 PM ET

The preseason is always about depth players being able to find roster spots or starting jobs by showing how well they perform in big game settings. The San Francisco 49ers have been hit by the injury bug early in training camp, resulting in these four players who had prime chances to flash sitting out.

Mykel Williams

The preseason was built for rookies. It is always different seeing the speed, size, and flow of the NFL, even for a former SEC defender. Some high-end draft picks like Williams can hit the ground running, but he is young and missed time last season, so the thought was that the preseason would do him well.

He sat out the last practice with a knee issue and has been in and out all summer, making it a near lock he does not play against the Denver Broncos. This is disappointing.

Ji’Ayir Brown

Brown may be losing his starting job faster than he won it. Injuries are what propelled him into the lineup as a rookie, and he stayed there in year two. However, as he enters year three, both Richie Grant and Jason Pinnock outshone him, and that does not factor in Malik Mustapha, who will return soon.

Brown needed a strong preseason to show that he can stay on the field. That may not happen as he has been sitting on the sideline with an ankle injury. His case to start is getting thinner every day.

Jordan James

You could throw Isaac Guerendo in here as well. The 49ers know that they have in Christian McCaffrey, but two weeks ago, their plan was a mix of Guerendo and James if McCaffrey went down. Guerendo has a shoulder injury that may keep him from missing regular-season time.

The plus side was that James would get a significant amount of work in the preseason. That is, until he broke his finger. James is going to miss at least one, but the entire preseason may be gone for the rookie now.

The team has Patrick Taylor, Corey Kiner, and Ameer Abdullah for the rest of the preseason. At least Kiner is a rookie, but the UDFA has suddenly become the most intriguing name in the room.

Sam Okuayinonu

Okuayinonu flashed last year in his limited time, and the former UDFA was hoping to stick on the roster again this year. Injuries to Yetur Gross-Matos and Mykel Williams gave him chances early, but Okuayinonu injured his groin and has missed the last week or so. He is not playing this weekend and may not be back until the regular season. All of a sudden, the question is whether they can get him to the practice squad, or what injury designation do they plan to give him before the season starts?

This article first appeared on San Francisco 49ers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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