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49ers · Player

Luke Gifford

Luke Gifford
Position
LB
Number
#51
Age
31
Pieces here
17

Written about him

Week 1 Preview

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.

Sam KezarSep 10, 20265 min read
Seven Of San Francisco's Nine Rookies Are Listed Second At A Position For The Opener
Practice Notebook

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.

Sam KezarSep 7, 20265 min read
Nick Bosa And Christian McCaffrey Did No Drills In The Open Portion Of The First Melbourne Practice
Camp Notebook

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.

Sam KezarSep 2, 20264 min read
Nick Bosa Practised For The First Time Since August 3
Camp Notebook

Brett Toth's Undisclosed Injury Was A Concussion, And This Board Took Him Off The 53

Saturday's notebook: the undisclosed injury this beat has been carrying for three days got a name and cost its owner a place on this site's projected 53, Connor Colby lost most of a one-on-one session two days after losing the first-team reps, the defence intercepted Brock Purdy twice in the red zone, and the head coach took a podium for the first time since his car accident.

Sam KezarAug 8, 20268 min read
Brett Toth's Undisclosed Injury Was A Concussion, And This Board Took Him Off The 53

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