{"id":6854,"date":"2026-08-15T11:36:23","date_gmt":"2026-08-15T11:36:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6854"},"modified":"2026-08-15T11:36:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-15T11:36:23","slug":"inman-five-things-i-learned-in-49ers-preseason-opener","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6854","title":{"rendered":"Inman: Five things I learned in 49ers’ preseason opener"},"content":{"rendered":"
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SANTA CLARA \u2013 One 49er talked about the broken neck he has overcome. Another revisited the concussion that ended his rookie season. And a newcomer revealed his soccer-fueled origin story.<\/p>\n

Read more San Jose considers quadrupling housing density in single-family neighborhoods<\/a><\/p>\n

All around, the 49ers had stories to tell.<\/p>\n

After Thursday night\u2019s preseason opener, the 49ers\u2019 locker room was open to reporters for the first time since last season, and amid all the commotion about this franchise\u2019s incessant injuries, there was optimism about starting anew, making comebacks and sharing cool insight.<\/p>\n

Still, injuries come with the territory, and the biggest from the 49ers\u2019 19-13 loss involved quarterback Kurtis Rourke, who required a hospital visit because of a rib injury and shortness of breath. He was discharged that night and is on the mend, the team said.<\/p>\n

Rourke played great through three series. He got the start with Brock Purdy and Mac Jones out of uniform, and it was a long time coming since Rourke sat out his rookie season recovering from ACL surgery.<\/p>\n

Speaking of which, defensive end Nick Bosa seems intent on carrying out his own ACL comeback, noting that he\u2019s feeling solid even though knee tendinitis has kept him off the practice field since Aug. 3.<\/p>\n

Much more was learned as the three-game preseason got underway. Let\u2019s go inside the locker room:<\/p>\n

JUST A C5 FRACTURE<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Veteran Rob Jones, bidding to start at left guard, flashed a satisfying smile after getting that assignment Thursday. His 49ers\u2019 debut was far from flawless, but playing tackle football meant a lot considering his past year.<\/p>\n

Jones fractured a neck vertebra in the first padded practice of training camp last summer with the Dallas Cowboys, who he joined after four seasons with the Miami Dolphins.<\/p>\n

\u201cFortunately,\u201d Jones said, with a chuckle at that word choice, \u201cit was just a C5 (vertebra). There were no ligament (tears), so it was a clean break. That was a good thing. I was in a neck brace for four or five months. I didn\u2019t get cleared until March. But it could have been a lot worse. I was fortunate to have a clean crack.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jones has been the first-string left guard since the 49ers moved Connor Colby to the second string after a week of practices. Colby started at right guard Thursday.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cEverything happens for a reason. That happened and it helped me lean more into God, learn more about myself, and it gave me this opportunity to come here and play in a scheme I\u2019m used,\u201d Jones said.<\/p>\n

MARTIN BACK IN ACTION<\/strong><\/p>\n

Linebacker Nick Martin delivered the game\u2019s biggest hit, and it drew three penalty flags for unnecessary roughness. Playing for the first time since a Nov. 30 concussion in Cleveland, he had eight tackles in 26 snaps.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was happy to be back out there. I\u2019m excited for the journey,\u201d Martin said. \u201cIt was tough (last year). It was really frustrating because it was out of my control. There\u2019s nothing you can do to speed up healing from a concussion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Martin noted his tackling was \u201ca lot better\u201d compared to last preseason\u2019s debut that was littered with missed tackles. He did point out one clear miss Thursday night when he failed to wrap up a Titans running back who bounced outside for a 25-yard gain.<\/p>\n

Read more Opinion: Artificial intelligence can imitate us, but it cannot truly design or invent<\/a><\/p>\n

Martin is playing both weak- and strong-side linebacker this training camp, and he is hungry to learn from stalwarts Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw. \u201cI\u2019ve got two of the best backers in the game to learn from. I\u2019m super blessed to have them leading us and I\u2019m soaking up all their wisdom,\u201d Martin said. \u201cThey\u2019re super genuine guys and love to work, and so do I.\u201d<\/p>\n

NEW PUNTER\u2019S STORY<\/strong><\/p>\n

As a left-footed punter, Corliss Waitman\u2019s spin can be deceptive and returns can get muffed, as happened Thursday night. Beyond being a hang-time artist and spin-control doctor, Waitman has a unique origin story that led to his discovery of punting his senior year of high school in Milton, Fla.<\/p>\n

\u201cI grew up playing soccer (left wing). My dad played basketball overseas, so I grew up overseas most of the time,\u201d Waitman, 31, said. \u201cEvery time I went back home in Milton, Florida, I used to just kick a football. Then the head coach knew my dad and said, \u2018Your son can kick. Let him try out.\u2019 Then it happened spontaneously.\u201d<\/p>\n

His late father, Jos\u00e9, was a league MVP 40 years ago in a Dutch league, then went on to play in Israel, France and China. His son was born in Ghent, Belgium and did the majority of his schooling in the Netherlands.<\/p>\n

As for who Corliss Waitman supported in the recent World Cup, he said: \u201cI was rooting for America, but I\u2019m a dual citizen so I was also rooting for the Netherlands. But America first, for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

HALTON CO-STARS<\/strong><\/p>\n

While wide receiver De\u2019Zhaun Stribling led the offense with seven catches, fellow rookie Grayson Halton was the defense\u2019s breakout star. A highlight came when the 6-foot-2 defensive tackle burst through two blocks and burst past Peter Skoronski, who became the NFL\u2019s highest-paid guard last week.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, but I\u2019m a rookie, so anything can happen. I can go next week and get put on my behind,\u201d Halton said. \u201cI have to be humble and get better. There\u2019s probably something I could have done better on that play.\u201d<\/p>\n

Halton suffered a bone bruise in a knee two practices into camp, and even though that shelved him a week, \u201cOh, I was in it. I was working,\u201d Halton said. \u201cwas watching every play what the guys do so I can add it to my game.\u201d<\/p>\n

WATKINS\u2019 SECOND YEAR<\/strong><\/p>\n

Asked if he could remember what he was thinking after last preseason\u2019s rookie debut, wide receiver Jordan Watkins replied: \u201cYeah, \u2018My ankle hurts.\u2019 \u2026 It was disappointment because I knew that it was something serious.\u201d<\/p>\n

That high ankle sprain, followed by a calf injury, limited him to two catches in four games in his rookie year.<\/p>\n

Since then, he\u2019s bulked up from 185 pounds to 205 pounds with a high-protein, minimal-carbohydrate diet. \u201cMy diet has been a big part of staying healthy this camp,\u201d Watson said. \u201cI\u2019m a really big sweet-tea drinker so I\u2019m trying to stay away from that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thursday\u2019s game saw him catch 6-of-10 targets for 59 yards; he had a 21-yard, third-down conversion nullified by a Jones\u2019 holding penalty on the opening drive. Watson must prove himself, too, as a punt returner, and he did OK in that regard with a 4-yard return and a fair catch.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a fun journey but I feel I\u2019m getting better,\u201d Watson said. \u201cEverybody in the stadium is looking at you and everybody on the sideline is expecting you to catch the ball. It\u2019s just you and the ball.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Horoscopes August 15, 2026: Jennifer Lawrence, having an open mind is good<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The 49ers’ preseason is off and running, yielding interesting tidbits now that their locker room is open to reporters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6853,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6854","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nInman: Five things I learned in 49ers’ preseason opener - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6854\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Inman: Five things I learned in 49ers’ preseason opener - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The 49ers' preseason is off and running, yielding interesting tidbits now that their locker room is open to reporters.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6854\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-15T11:36:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6854#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6854\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"headline\":\"Inman: Five things I learned in 49ers’ preseason opener\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-15T11:36:23+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6854\"},\"wordCount\":1190,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6854#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/abf039e214a03421287804509cbbe790-scaled.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Sports\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6854#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6854\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6854\",\"name\":\"Inman: Five things I learned in 49ers’ preseason opener - 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