The San Francisco 49ers are turning to a familiar face to help stabilize their tight end room. Following a significant knee injury to Jake Tongesduring the team's Week 1 victory over the Los Angeles Rams, the 49ers officially promoted former seventh-round pick Brayden Willis from the practice squad to the active roster.
Tonges suffered the injury in the second quarter at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and head coach Kyle Shanahan admitted postgame that the outlook "wasn't good," pointing to a problematic MCL issue. The loss stings for an offense already managing the gradual reintegration of George Kittle.
The All-Pro tight end made a miraculous, expedited return from a torn Achilles sustained in January, suiting up for the season opener without
an injury designation. However, working under a heavily-managed workload, the veteran tight end was restricted to limited snaps, catching two passes for 12 yards on five targets while helping pave the way for a dominant 49ers ground game.
With Kittle being eased back into full action and Tonges facing a lengthy recovery, San Francisco needed immediate depth behind Luke Farrell. Enter Willis, a 26-year-old product out of Oklahoma who originally joined the 49ers as the 247th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. He had two receptions for 19 yards in Week 1.
Over his three-year stint with the franchise, Willis has carved out a valuable niche primarily on special teams, appearing in 23 regular-season games and tallying nine tackles, alongside another postseason stop-unit tackle. After spending chunks of the 2025 campaign bouncing between the practice squad and active roster—where he added six more special teams tackles across six appearances—Willis rejoined the practice unit on September 7.
Now, thrust into a prominent backup role, Willis provides much-needed insurance and blocking prowess as the 49ers navigate a depleted tight end group while patiently waiting for Kittle to reclaim a full complement of snaps.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers promote former 7th-round pick after TE injury
