- Position
- RB
- Number
- #29
- Age
- 22
- Pieces here
- 43
On the record
Called Shots →Kaelon Black is on the San Francisco 49ers' initial 53-man roster as announced at the August 30, 2026 mandatory cut. Scored off the initial 53 only: the practice squad is a miss, a later signing or elevation after the initial roster is a miss, and being placed on injured reserve from the initial 53 counts as a hit.
Sincere McCormick plays MORE offensive snaps than Jordan James at Las Vegas on August 27. Equal counts grade this WRONG.
Kaelon Black is credited with at least one kickoff return in the 49ers' preseason finale at Las Vegas on August 27, 2026.
Kaelon Black finishes with more 2026 regular-season rushing yards than Jordan James. A tie grades this WRONG.
Written about him
San Francisco Has Told You George Kittle Plays. It Has Not Told You How Much Of Him You Get.
San Francisco's Week 1 injury report, read live at 49ers.com and again at therams.com on Thursday morning Pacific, carries eleven San Francisco names and two designations. Alfred Collins, listed at defensive line with a knee, is Out; the club's own item says he tore a patellar tendon and will miss the 2026 season. James Thompson Jr., hamstring, is Questionable after going from did not participate to limited. The other nine, including Nick Bosa, Kyle Juszczyk, Dre Greenlaw and George Kittle, carry no game designation, and Upton Stout is the only full participant on the page. Kittle is limited on every practice day the report carries a value for, with no designation, on an Achilles tendon he tore on January 11. The grid's Monday column is empty on all eighteen rows across both clubs, while the club's own news item describes three Melbourne practices. The Rams' half has filled since Wednesday: Aaron Donald is Out, listed not injury related and resting, and the other six Los Angeles names carry the dash the legend defines as not listed. Kyle Shanahan on Bosa and Kittle: 'We've got to be smart with that.' Kickoff is 5:35 p.m. Pacific at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. One take filed.
Aaron Donald Did Not Travel And Myles Garrett Did
San Francisco plays Los Angeles at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday, 5:35 p.m. Pacific, on Netflix. Alfred Collins tore his patellar tendon at the second Melbourne practice and is out for the season, the only San Francisco player on the final Week 1 report carrying a game designation apart from James Thompson Jr., who is questionable with a hamstring. Nick Bosa and George Kittle carry no designation at all. On the Rams sheet Aaron Donald is out and did not travel, and Myles Garrett went from not practising to full participation and plays.
Nobody San Francisco Added Thursday Plays Defensive Tackle
San Francisco placed DL Alfred Collins on injured reserve and activated WR KhaDarel Hodge and DL Ogbo Okoronkwo from its practice squad as standard elevations, all three moves in one release published at 1:53 p.m. Pacific on Thursday, three hours and forty-two minutes before the season opener against the Los Angeles Rams at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Hodge and Okoronkwo revert to the practice squad after the game, and a standard elevation is capped at three per player per season. Neither plays defensive tackle. The club's depth chart, stamped September 8 and labelled unofficial, lists four men at the two tackle spots: Osa Odighizuwa at 280 pounds and C.J. West at 316 on the left, Collins and then rookies Gracen Halton at 293 and James Thompson Jr. at 308 on the right. Thompson was Questionable with a hamstring, the only game designation San Francisco issued for the opener. The inactive lists resolved it: six San Francisco names, none of them a defensive lineman, and Thompson dresses. That leaves right defensive tackle to two rookies. The report the club distributed at 12:23 a.m. Pacific has Halton at full participation for the last Melbourne practice; the table on the club's own injury-report page, read at 2:51 p.m., still showed him limited and left his injury column blank. The practice squad holds three defensive linemen heavier than Okoronkwo's 253 pounds, including Kevin Givens, the man the club waived on August 5 to sign Hodge and Okoronkwo. Counted in a browser at 2:53 p.m. Pacific, the roster page carried 54 on Active, 12 on injured reserve, two on Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform and 15 on the practice squad, which puts 52 players on a roster that may hold 53. The Active table held eight defensive linemen. The transaction log still ended on September 5. One take filed.
Seven Of San Francisco's Nine Rookies Are Listed Second At A Position For The Opener
San Francisco opens the 2026 season against Los Angeles at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday at 5:35 p.m. Pacific, 10:35 a.m. Friday in Melbourne, on Netflix, with radio on KSFO 810 AM and KSAN 107.7 FM. The club's roster page, counted in a browser on Thursday morning, carries 53 active players and exactly nine rookies. Seven of those nine are listed second at a position on the club's own website depth chart, stamped September 8 and labelled unofficial; the other two are listed third. None is listed first. The club's final injury report, published at 12:23 a.m. Pacific Thursday, issued two game designations: DL Alfred Collins out with a knee, which Kyle Shanahan said is a torn patellar tendon that ends his season, and rookie DL James Thompson Jr. questionable with a hamstring. Nick Bosa, knee, and George Kittle, achilles, were limited at all three Melbourne practices and carry no designation. Shanahan on the two of them: 'We've got to be smart with that. They both look great but we've definitely got to be smart with that.' Bosa said he is '100 percent ready to go for the first game.' Luke Gifford, Renardo Green, Dre Greenlaw, Gracen Halton and Romello Height all progressed to full participation at the last practice. Kyle Juszczyk stayed limited with a finger. Los Angeles ruled out Aaron Donald, filed under rest. Inactives land 90 minutes before kickoff. Ten players to watch, and the club's own chart still lists two men who cannot play.
The Two Names That Moved On Wednesday's Injury Report Both Play Right Defensive Tackle
San Francisco's second injury report of Week 1, distributed by the club's communications staff and published by David Bonilla at 49ers Webzone at about 2:57 p.m. Pacific on Wednesday, carries the same eleven San Francisco names as Tuesday's and moves exactly two of them. Alfred Collins goes from limited participation to did not participate, filed under a knee; Kyle Shanahan said this week that Collins tore a patellar tendon and is out for the year. James Thompson Jr. goes from did not participate to limited, and Shanahan had said before the last practice that Thompson's availability would be settled by how that session went, per Patrick Holloway and Kyle Posey at Niners Nation. The two men are first and third at right defensive tackle on the club's own chart. Nick Bosa, limited on both reports, said after the final full practice that he is '100% ready to go' and that he had not yet talked to defensive line coach Kris Kocurek about a snap limit. George Kittle, also limited both days, said his body feels good and that he does not know his workload. Shanahan said the club has to be smart with both, and called Christian McCaffrey 'Awesome. Ready to go.' Bonilla writes that San Francisco held no full practice on Wednesday and had a walk-through scheduled. On the Rams' side everyone but Aaron Donald improved: Myles Garrett went from did not participate to full. Neither the distributed report as published nor the club's own injury report page, read at 3:04 p.m. and again at 4:52 p.m. Pacific, carries a game status for anybody. On the roster page nothing was processed: 53 active, 17 practice squad, 11 on injured reserve, 2 on Active/PUP, Collins still on the Active table.
Alfred Collins Is Out For The Year And His Replacement Is Whoever Is Already In Australia
Alfred Collins tore his patellar tendon at San Francisco's second Melbourne practice and is out for the 2026 season, per head coach Kyle Shanahan, reported by Matt Maiocco at NBC Sports Bay Area, Nick Wagoner at ESPN and David Bonilla at 49ers Webzone. He was the club's projected starting right defensive tackle. The club's own unofficial depth chart, stamped September 8 and read on Wednesday morning, still lists Collins first at that position, and lists Gracen Halton and James Thompson Jr. behind him. The club's roster page gives both men an R in its experience column, and both appear on the Week 1 practice participation report the club distributed Tuesday: Halton limited with an ankle, Thompson the only man who did not practice at all, with a hamstring. Asked who replaces Collins, Shanahan said any defensive lineman is a possibility unless reporters could name someone the club could fly to Australia quickly. Collins was still on the club's active roster when it was read Wednesday morning, and the club's transaction page carried no injured-reserve move for him, its newest entry being September 5, so the move reported as coming had not happened. Sam Okuayinonu, the other defensive lineman lost, went on injured reserve on September 4 with a broken foot. Collins went 43rd overall in 2025 and played 16 games as a rookie with one start; Maiocco and Bonilla both give the rest of that season as 17 tackles, one sack and two forced fumbles. One take filed.
Nick Bosa Was Limited In Melbourne And The Only Man Who Did Not Practice Was An Undrafted Rookie
Nick Bosa and Christian McCaffrey returned to the field for San Francisco's second Melbourne practice after doing no drills at the first, per Matt Barrows at The Athletic and Matt Maiocco at NBC Sports Bay Area, both filing at about 3:42 a.m. Pacific on Tuesday. The club's first official participation report of the season followed at about 3:10 p.m. Pacific and listed eleven men. James Thompson Jr., a rookie defensive tackle with a hamstring strain, was the only non-participant. Nine were limited, Bosa and George Kittle among them, and cornerback Upton Stout was the lone full participant. Christian McCaffrey carries no designation at all. Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris said of Bosa, 'He's going out there. Whatever you want to say, he's going. He'll be there. We're not hiding that.' Los Angeles will not have Aaron Donald, who is not travelling to Australia, and listed Myles Garrett among five non-participants with a knee. On the roster page, Victor Dimukeje came off injured reserve, taking that list from twelve to eleven.
Nick Bosa And Christian McCaffrey Did No Drills In The Open Portion Of The First Melbourne Practice
Nick Bosa and Christian McCaffrey did not take part in drills during the portion of San Francisco's first Melbourne practice open to reporters, per Matt Maiocco at NBC Sports Bay Area and Matt Barrows at The Athletic. San Francisco plays the Rams at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday at 5:35 p.m. Pacific. Reporters leave before team drills, and the club was not required to file a participation report, so what either man did after that is not public. Shanahan said the time difference meant he did not have to talk about injuries until the following day, and did not. George Kittle and Mike Evans practised. Barrows listed six men back from injury: Renardo Green, Romello Height, Jacob Cowing, Vederian Lowe, Gracen Halton and Luke Gifford. Five of the six who sat out the September 2 practice in Santa Clara are on that list; James Thompson Jr. is on no list either way. The club named eight captains, all eight returning from 2025, and Bosa and McCaffrey are two of them. Brayden Willis is back on the practice squad, which now sits at seventeen.
Connor Colby And Kaelon Black Fill The Two Jobs Shanahan Called Fluid
San Francisco's public depth chart carried an empty box at left guard from August 27 until this week. Read at 2:52 p.m. Pacific on Sunday, it is stamped 09/4/26 and lists Connor Colby first at left guard and Carver Willis second. It also lists Kaelon Black second at running back ahead of Jordan James, which is the other job Kyle Shanahan called fluid on August 31, and George Kittle and Nick Bosa as starters. Colby was the incumbent in July, was passed by Robert Jones and then by Willis in August, and is first again on the club's own page. Jarrett Patterson, traded for to compete at guard, is listed second at center. The chart predates three roster moves and has one empty box left, at long snapper. The first Melbourne practice is Sunday at 7:50 p.m. Pacific.
Eight Of San Francisco's Nine Defensive Linemen Landed In Melbourne
San Francisco carries nine defensive linemen on its active roster and eight of them were on the Qantas A380 that landed at Melbourne Airport at 7:50 a.m. local time on Friday. Sam Okuayinonu was not. The club announced shortly before departure that he would stay behind with a foot injury and designated him questionable for the opener against the Rams rather than ruling him out, per Michael David Smith at Pro Football Talk, who writes that he may fly separately if the foot responds to treatment. Okuayinonu started twelve games last season, which is twelve of the fifteen starts in his career. Three of the eight who travelled sat out Wednesday's last practice in Santa Clara: Gracen Halton and Romello Height with ankles, James Thompson Jr. undisclosed. A fourth, Nick Bosa, took team reps on Wednesday for the first time since August 3. The club signed two defensive linemen to its practice squad on September 1, hosted a defensive tackle on a visit on September 2, and reached an injury settlement with Victor Dimukeje on Thursday.
Nick Bosa Practised For The First Time Since August 3
Nick Bosa practised Wednesday for the first time since August 3, in individual drills and in team periods, per Nick Wagoner at ESPN. It is his first full practice since he tore the right anterior cruciate ligament in Week 3 of last season. He said afterwards that once a session reaches team work there is no governor on it, and that he is confident about Week 1. Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday morning that Bosa and George Kittle both travel to Australia. Kittle has now had three straight days of team work, dated to Monday by John Lynch. Six players sat out, three fewer than Tuesday: Renardo Green, Jacob Cowing, Luke Gifford, Gracen Halton, Romello Height and James Thompson Jr. Jack Jones was on neither list and did no work with the team. Left guard is still not named. The club hosted defensive tackle McKinnley Jackson on a visit and signed nobody.
Five Rookies Started And The Kicker Scored All Eighteen Points
The 49ers beat the Raiders 18-12 at Allegiant Stadium on Thursday night. Eddy Pineiro made all six of his field goals and scored every point San Francisco scored; neither team reached the end zone. The official game book lists five rookies in the starting lineup, three on offense: Carver Willis at left guard, Enrique Cruz Jr. at left tackle and Kaelon Black at running back. Cruz played all 61 offensive snaps and rookie safety Jalen Stroman played all 66 on defense. Jaden Dugger led the team with ten tackles, Jordan James played his first snaps of the preseason and drew a penalty that wiped out a touchdown, and Jordan Watkins ran, caught and returned. The roster is due at 53 on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. PT.
Jordan James And Kaelon Black Have Eight Preseason Carries Between Them
San Francisco opened camp with a two-man competition to back up Christian McCaffrey. Across two preseason games Kaelon Black has carried the ball eight times and Jordan James has not carried it at all, because one had an adductor injury and the other a fractured rib. Sincere McCormick, a third-year back outside the projected 53, leads the team with 16 carries for 91 yards. One practice and one game remain before the roster is due Sunday.
Both Of The 49ers' Outside Cornerbacks Missed The Same Practice
The 49ers announced shoulder injuries for cornerback Deommodore Lenoir and rookie receiver De'Zhaun Stribling on Saturday, calling both day-to-day, and Renardo Green did not practice two days after the hamstring that took him out of the Chargers game. Jordan James practiced for the first time this camp, and Dominick Puni and C.J. West cleared the concussion protocol. Nick Bosa and Christian McCaffrey were not in a session Kyle Shanahan had described them as on track for. Eight days to the cutdown, and nothing crossed the line on the 53-man tracker.
Pearsall's Knee, Two Quarterback Lines, And A Strip-Sack To Open Team Drills
Nick Wagoner reported swelling in Ricky Pearsall's knee from a PCL injury carried over from last season, with surgery being explored. Jordan James has a fractured rib and Malik Mustapha a hamstring strain. Purdy completed 14 of 18 in team drills, Mac Jones 11 of 15, and Dre Greenlaw opened team drills by stripping Christian McCaffrey.
