San Francisco 49ers Suffer Scary Injury Against Rams

San Francisco took a 10-7 lead into halftime. The first international regular-season game in Australia was already turning into a test of depth more than anyone wanted.

The 49ers had already lost starting defensive tackle Alfred Collins for the season after he tore a patellar tendon during the team’s week of practice in Melbourne. The hits on the offensive side only added to the concern.

Tonges re-signed with San Francisco this offseason on a two-year, $8 million contract. He played eight snaps in the first half before the injury and was expected to handle extra work while star tight end George Kittle eases back from a torn Achilles suffered in January.

When Kittle missed six regular-season games in 2025, Tonges stepped in and caught 29 of 40 targets for 269 yards and three touchdowns. He ran 200 routes in that stretch. For the full 2025 season he finished with 34 receptions for 293 yards and five touchdowns.

Kittle did play Thursday after a remarkably fast recovery, but coach Kyle Shanahan had already signaled the team would be careful.

“We’ve got to be smart with that,” Shanahan said earlier in the week. “They both look great. But we definitely have got to be smart with that.”

With Tonges out, the 49ers turned to Kittle and Luke Farrell at tight end for the remainder of the night. That is thinner than the room looked on paper when the team left California.

Stribling’s exit stung for different reasons. The 33rd overall pick out of Ole Miss arrived as a highly regarded rookie and the top-rated offensive rookie at any position in the preseason, according to Pro Football Focus, after catching 11 of 13 targets in two exhibition games.

The 49ers have spent years dealing with injuries to skill-position players. Losing two more in the same half of Week 1, on the other side of the world, was a rough way to start the new season.

Tonges is 27 and had finally carved out a real role after several years on the roster. A longer absence would force even more work onto Kittle so soon after the Achilles tear and put extra pressure on Farrell and the rest of the tight end group.

San Francisco still had the lead at the break, but the offensive line and the remaining pass catchers now have less margin for error against a Rams front that features Garrett. How the 49ers manage the rest of the game, and what the medical staff finds when they get a closer look at Tonges’ knee, will shape the next few weeks.

The team has not issued a detailed update beyond ruling him out for Thursday. Further tests are expected once they return home.