The San Francisco 49ers found an unexpected source of consistency on the defensive line in rookie defensive tackle Gracen Halton this season.
Halton might not be there for the 49ers the rest of the way after he suffered what seemed like a serious lower-leg injury in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders — an injury that required him to be carted off the field and saw all of his teammates surround him as he was driven away.
The 49ers improved to 7-1 with a 38-17 victory. It’s their best start to a season since 2017.
“49ers star rookie DT Gracen Halton is getting carted off with a left-leg injury (air cast), 3:57 remaining and 49ers ahead 38-17,” 49ers reporter Cam Inman wrote on X. “Fellow Oklahoma product Trent Williams helped him up and onto the cart. Halton was engaged in block when Keion White inadvertently rolled into his leg.”
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan quickly confirmed after the game that Halton’s injury was serious — and season-ending.
“49ers DT Gracen Halton will miss the rest of the season with a broken ankle, Kyle Shanahan says,” ESPN’s Nick Wagoner wrote on X.
Gracen Halton Surprise Starter for 49ers as Rookie
Halton, 6-foot-2 and 293 pounds, has made six starts in eight games for the 49ers with 15 tackles, 2.0 sacks and 1 forced fumble.
“49ers DT Gracen Halton is down,” ESPN’s Nick Wagoner wrote on X. “The cart is on the field for him.”
“It’s a horrible sight to see 49ers rookie D-lineman Gracen Halton on a cart with an air cast on his left leg,” NBC Sports’ Matt Maiocco wrote on his official X account.
Injury Forced Gracen Halton Into Bigger Role
Halton has been a pleasant surprise for the 49ers as a rookie—especially after 6-foot-5, 332-pound starting defensive tackle Alfred Collins, who seemed poised for a breakout season, tore his patellar tendon at practice ahead of the season opener against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia.
Halton, a 4th-round pick out of Oklahoma, went viral for a play in the preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans in which he dominated offensive lineman Peter Skoronski — a former 1st-round pick and the NFL’s highest-paid guard after signing a 4-year, $100 million contract extension on August 7.
“Once I get hot, it’s over with,” Halton told ESPN’s Nick Wagoner. “I win one and then next thing you know, I’m in my head like, okay, I got this. So I build that confidence and it’s over.”
“Oklahoma defensive tackle Gracen Halton was a fourth-round pick and brings value both as a pass-rusher and against the run,” PFF’s Gordon McGuinness wrote on August 4. “He earned a 76.9 PFF pass-rush grade after generating 30 pressures on 259 pass-rushing snaps in 2025. He was even better against the run, earning a career-high 87.5 PFF run-defense grade in his final season at Oklahoma.”
Standout 49ers Rookie Suffers Season-Ending Injury vs. Raiders