49ers Notebook: Gracen Halton, other rookies shine vs. Titans; Kurtis Rourke impresses; Will another QB be needed?

The first game of the 49ers preseason is usually one where much of the focus is on how the team's depth and young players perform during their first time on an NFL field. Thursday's opener against the Tennessee Titans proved to be a great chance for the 49ers rookies to shine due to the fact the Titans played their starters for more than a quarter.

The standout of the game for the 49ers was second-round pick De'Zhaun Stribling, who caught seven passes for 63 yards in the first half and looked ready to play on Sundays (click here for more on his performance). But Stribling was far from the only one to catch the attention of fans and observers.

In the first 49ers Notebook of the preseason, we have a look at some of the other rookies who shined during the 19-13 loss to the Titans on Thursday, plus some notes on the debut of quarterback Kurtis Rourke and what the 49ers would have done if they would have run out quarterbacks against the Titans following Rourke's rib injury. Let's get it started...

DT Gracen Halton opens some eyes

While it was the Stribling-Rourke show on offense for the 49ers, fourth-round rookie defensive tackle Gracen Halton may have made the biggest impression on defense. Halton was slowed by a bone bruise earlier in training camp but has come on since then, and on Thursday he showed he too may be ready for Sundays with the battles he won against the Titans' offensive line, which included the league's highest-paid guard in Peter Skoronski.

"You play how you practice," Halton said Thursday. "I'm not going to say I was perfect; there's a lot of things I need to work on. But I'm just blessed, man. Give thanks to God, to my teammates to make it happen."

Halton's biggest highlight came on a play that didn't count. He beat Skoronski for what would have been a sack, had it not been called back due to a penalty.

"It's all good man, you know?" Halton said with a grin after being asked about missing out on a sack. "I'll be right back."

Halton didn't seem too intimidated by his competition on Thursday ("Football is football. You know how to play, you're going to make plays," he said), and now that he's back on the field, he certainly seems to be a player on the rise.

"It's always tough when these guys miss time, but I think he's been back for at least a week too," head coach Kyle Shanahan said of Halton after the game. "And I think he's taking advantage of it. He had a good week and looked like he did some good things out there today, but I'll have to see the film to know for sure."

Ephesians Prysock, Jaden Dugger also make an impression

Fourth-round cornerback Ephesians Prysock and fifth-round linebacker Jaden Dugger may still prove to be developmental players as rookies who don't see too much time on defense this season, but their potential was evident against the Titans on Thursday night.

Both players jump out with their long frames and physical potential. The 6-4, 240-pound Dugger showed his ability to run down quarterbacks with a tackle of Cam Ward early in Thursday's game.

"It was a good feeling," Dugger said about facing the Titans on Thursday. "I've been going against the first O-Line here all camp, so like I was pretty used to it – going against [RB Christian McCaffrey] CMC and all that, Trent Williams. It was good work to be out there against their vets and stuff."

The 6-3, 196-pound Prysock jumped into action after a hand injury to starter Jack Jones. Among his impressive moments was this broken up pass intended for first-round pick Carnell Tate.

"It was great," said Prysock, who finished with two tackles. "He's a great competitor, great receiver. It was a good matchup."

Unlike some of his fellow rookies, Prysock has been able to stay on the field during training camp, which has helped his cause, according to Shanahan.

"Anytime rookies come in, they've got an uphill battle," Shanahan said. "He's been able to stay healthy and go through these two weeks, which I think has been really good for him. It looked like he did some good things today, but like I said, I'll wait till I see the tape. And hopefully that'll continue next week versus the Chargers."

Kurtis Rourke's successful debut

Before leaving the game in the second quarter due to a rib injury, quarterback Kurtis Rourke showed why he could make his way onto the active roster this season as the team's third quarterback behind Brock Purdy and Mac Jones.

Rouke was playing in his first game since 2024 after sitting out the 2025 season while recovering from a torn ACL. The Indiana University product completed 12-of-14 passes for 101 yards with one touchdown drive. Rourke also ran for 14 yards on three carries, including this nifty escape on a fourth down.

Rourke wasn't available for comment after the game due to him having to go to the hospital to check on his ribs. But Shanahan had some positive thoughts on Rourke's performance, as did Stribling.

"I thought he looked good," Shanahan said. "Got the ball to the right spot, thought he hung in there, played well, did a hell of a job on that drive. Looked good out there, I thought."

Stribling said of Rourke, "He was good. He was comfortable. He was taking charge. He was leading the whole offense."

Rourke was relieved by Adrian Martinez, who was the only other quarterback available on Thursday. Martinez finished the game, but if something had happened to him, the quarterback duties would have gone to tight end Brayden Willis.

"From second quarter on, we were talking about what guys who were in the game who could take a handoff and hand it off, or take a snap and hand it off," Shanahan said. "So, Brayden Willis was going to go in. We were doing handoff drills with him at halftime, so he was ready for it if he had to."

Will the 49ers need to add another quarterback to the roster if Rourke winds up being unavailable? Shanahan was non-committal on that subject, but it sounded like he felt like he might have enough with Martinez, Purdy and Jones.

"Yeah, maybe," Shanahan said. "I mean, we still have three in here, so it's not a necessity. So, with other guys hurt on the roster, it might be hard to carry five. But you don't have to with three."