The San Francisco 49ers have made the trek to Australia for their season opener, which will see them square off against their NFC West rival, the Los Angeles Rams. As two of the top Super Bowl contenders in the league, this should be an exciting affair, but the Niners are going to enter this game as the underdog.
Per usual, injuries are a big part of the story for San Francisco, but the team has actually received primarily positive updates in this department ahead of the game. The lone exception involves veteran defensive end Sam Okuayinonu, who did not make the trip to Australia because of a foot injury. After staying back in town for this game, the Niners have made a tough move involving Okuayinonu.
49ers Place Sam Okuayinonu on Injured Reserve
With injuries decimating the Niners for the second-straight year in 2025, Okuayinonu ended up playing an unexpectedly big role on defense. After playing in a reserve role in 2024, Okuayinonu started 12 of the 15 games he suited up for, racking up 39 tackles, three sacks, and a forced fumble during his time on the field.
Assuming a guy like Nick Bosa can stay healthy in 2026, Okuayinonu will likely see a decrease in snaps this year, but he should still play a key role along the defensive line. A foot injury has thrown a wrench in those plans, though, as Okuayinonu was ruled out for San Fran’s Week 1 action shortly after it arrived in Australia.
Considering how Okuayinonu did not fly with the rest of the team to Australia, it wasn’t much of a surprise to see him get ruled out for the game. However, his foot injury appears to be trending in the wrong direction, as San Fran followed this move up by placing Okuayinonu on injured reserve, meaning he will miss at least the first four games of the season.
49ers sign Jon Weeks to 53 along with Khalid Kareem from practice squad, place Sam Okuayinonu on IR,” Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston shared in a post on X.
49ers Are Already Banged Up Along Their Defensive Line
Even with Bosa trending towards being ready for Week 1, Okuayinonu was on track to play a big role on defense for the 49ers. The problem is that there are a handful of other injuries at this spot. Bosa is still questionable for Week 1, as are Keion White and Romello Height. If any of these three guys can’t play in this game, San Fran could be in some trouble.
With Okuayinonu set to miss time, White, Height, and the newly signed Khalid Kareem are all set to see an uptick in snaps moving forward. On paper at least, the Rams are a behemoth on both sides of the ball, so if the 49ers want any shot at winning, they are going to need the rest of their defensive front seven to step up in Okuayinonu’s absence.
49ers Make Unfortunate Move With Defensive Lineman Ahead of Week 1