49ers preseason takeaways: De’Zhaun Stribling hype train rolling, Kurtis Rourke injured
Standouts
WR De’Zhaun Stribling
His third catch as a 49er was just like the ones he’s consistently made in practice. Though cornerback Cor’Dale Flott was all over his back, Stribling extended his arms toward the cornerback and comfortably plucked the ball for a 10-yard gain.
His hands were also on display on the biggest play of the game — a 32-yard reception down the right sideline from Kurtis Rourke that Stribling snatched above Flott, who’s started 37 NFL games in four seasons.
Another sign coaches are pleased with the rookie: He was given the rest of the night off with nearly eight minutes left in the second quarter, well before all of Thursday’s other offensive starters. Stribling finished the outing with seven catches on eight targets for 63 yards.
“It seemed good,” coach Kyle Shanahan said of Stribling’s debut. “We’ll see when we watch the film. I thought he struggled a little bit on that first drive, but I think he got three drives after that and seemed like he executed all the stuff that went to him. I liked how his hands looked out there, and he played physical.”
“My first time being out there, I was just a little excited, a little nervous,” Stribling added. “But getting the first hit out of the way, the first catch out of the way, I started getting into a groove. And then everything started rolling.”
QB Kurtis Rourke
He started ahead of Adrian Martinez, his competition for the No. 3 job, then completed 12 of 14 passes for 101 yards, including the nicely placed deep shot to Stribling. Rourke, of course, was also going against Jeffery Simmons and the Titans’ starting defense while being protected by the likes of Drake Nugent, Brandon Parker and other backups. All in all, it was an encouraging NFL debut, with one notable exception.
Rourke put his head down to run a few times, and on a 3-yard run near the goal line, he injured his ribs. He stayed in to finish the drive (drawing Shanahan’s ire for losing track of the play clock and causing a delay of game penalty), which ended in a 49ers touchdown. Rourke did not return, however, and he was taken to the hospital after having trouble breathing, Shanahan said after the game. The coach did not think the issue was serious but did not have an update on Rourke.
Stribling said he wasn’t aware that Rourke was injured.
“We couldn’t really see what was happening, but I pray that he’s OK and he heals back up well,” he said.
Martinez was the only other 49ers quarterback dressed for the game. If he had left injured, tight end Brayden Willis would have been the emergency QB, Shanahan said.
DT Gracen Halton
Halton has had a nasty streak during training camp, and that showed up in back-to-back plays Thursday night. He would have had a sack, working through Titans starting linemen Peter Skoronski and Dan Moore Jr., if not for a defensive holding penalty in the secondary. On the next snap, Halton threw an offensive lineman to the side and wrapped up running back Tyjae Spears for a loss of a yard.
“Once I get hot, it’s over with,” Halton said. “I win one, and then next thing you know, I’m in my head like, ‘OK, I got this.’ So I build that confidence, and it’s over.”
CB Ephesians Prysock
Prysock, with arms just a tad shorter than Dr. Octopus, came in for an injured Jack Jones (hand) and immediately broke up a throw in the end zone against Carnell Tate, the No. 4 pick in the draft. He stayed close to receivers the rest of the night and might have to play sooner than anticipated.
LB Jaden Dugger
The 49ers’ do-everything rookie started at will linebacker, an every-down role in the 49ers’ defense. He ran down quarterback Cam Ward for an open-field tackle on the opening drive, then had a nice stop at the line of scrimmage on the second. Coaches give him a little more responsibility each week, and he’s risen to the occasion each time.
WRs Jordan Watkins and KhaDarel Hodge
We haven’t noticed Watkins much at camp, but the second-year receiver had a nice night. His receptions were smooth, all six of them.
Meanwhile, there was a little buzz (think one bee, 20 feet away) at camp about undrafted rookie receivers Will Pauling and Wesley Grimes, but the veteran Hodge showed why he is likely ahead of them on the call sheet. He had a nice tackle on a punt return and then hauled in a 15-yard catch on a comebacker. Plus, he came in thanks to his connection with the defensive coordinator, former Falcons head coach Raheem Morris.
Question marks
The running game
The 49ers’ first two drives ended with penalties against the offensive line, but worse was the inability to open up holes for the running backs. The 49ers had 17 carries for 47 yards in the first half. Maybe it was just the Titans’ front line — the Niners couldn’t run the ball in Tuesday’s joint practice, either.
LB Nick Martin
He was in good position to make a tackle on Spears in the first quarter but couldn’t wrap up and bring the tailback to the ground. Instead, Spears bounced free for a 25-yard run, setting up the Titans’ opening touchdown.
Martin also appeared to get leapfrogged by Dugger. The latter was in the every-down will linebacker role to begin the game, with Martin playing the third linebacker, the one who comes off the field when the nickel cornerback goes in.
Dugger also had the honor of being removed from the game earlier than Martin, who played well into the second half and was flagged for a helmet-to-helmet hit in the third quarter.
DE Romello Height
Height was one of the few potential starters who played, but he didn’t make much of an impact. The rookie pass rusher had a penalty on his first play (for illegal hands to the face) and finished with no pressures on 12 pass rush snaps, per TruMedia. But that’s what the preseason is for: to learn. He was excited after the game for his teammate Halton’s big plays.
QB Adrian Martinez
People might have given Martinez a 5 percent chance of beating out Rourke for the No. 3 QB (or practice squad) spot. After all, Martinez has bounced around NFL practice squads for three years, while Rourke was making his debut Thursday night after being a 2025 seventh-round pick coming off ACL surgery.
Five percent was way too high. Just before halftime, Martinez avoided throwing an underhanded interception by stepping out of bounds for a 14-yard sack, erasing what would have been an easy field goal attempt. Instead, it was 61 yards and fell short.
Martinez has some mobility, but it often seems as if he is in a rush and throwing the ball without looking downfield. He was 3 of 10 for 40 yards against the Titans’ second-team defense in the second quarter after Rourke left, and things didn’t get much better against the scrubs in the second half. He finished 16 of 30 for 159 yards.