Voltar
The San Francisco 49ers maintained their place atop the NFL standings with Sunday’s 38-17 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, improving their record to 7-1.
However, a team that’s already been hit hard by injuries lost one of its best young defensive players in the Week 10 win. Rookie defensive tackle Gracen Halton broke his left ankle and will miss the remainder of the season, head coach Kyle Shanahan announced.
Halton, 22, suffered the injury during the fourth quarter when fellow defensive lineman Keion White was blocked by Raiders tackle DJ Glaze and fell onto his lower leg. Medical personnel applied an air cast to Helton’s left leg and he had to be carted off the field.
In eight games (six starts), Halton led the 49ers with 5 tackles for loss and was second on the team with 2 sacks. He recorded 15 total tackles with 1 forced fumble.
“He’s played at a very high level as a rookie,” Shanahan said after the game. “He’s had an awesome seven or eight games here. We’re gonna miss him a lot.”
Halton was San Francisco’s fourth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft (No. 107 overall) out of Oklahoma.
“I’m sick for him,” linebacker Fred Warner told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Bonta Hill. “I know he was emotional getting on that cart, but I let him know, God, He does everything for a reason. So just keep his head up and he’ll be all right."
The 49ers acquired defensive tackle DeForest Buckner from the Indianapolis Colts last week, which bumped Halton from the starting lineup. But the depth on the interior defensive line and ability to rotate players in and out is now obviously affected by Halton’s season-ending injury.
Cornerbacks Deommodore Lenoir (foot) and Renardo Green (back) also left Sunday’s game with injuries and did not return. Shanahan said that both players would be re-evaluated on Monday and haven’t been ruled out for Week 11’s matchup with the Dallas Cowboys.