49ers Notebook: Two-headed monster shines at running back; Familiar faces make triumphant returns; Myles Garrett gets shut out

The 2026 season started with a bang for the San Francisco 49ers, who ran away from the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday in a 27-7 win at Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia.

There were a large number of positives to take from the game from the perspective of the 49ers, who had standout performances in all three phases of the game. Perhaps the 49ers looked better than expected given how many players were making their way back from injury and how many new (and familiar) faces were in the lineup for the first time.

Among the players making their debut was rookie running back Kaelon Black, who appears to be well on his way to creating a potent combination with Christian McCaffrey this season. We're going to look at their impact in this version of 49ers Notebook while also diving into the return of veterans such as Fred Warner and Deebo Samuel, a big debut from Trent Williams, and more. Let's get started...

A formidable 1-2 punch at running back

When healthy, Christian McCaffrey has by and large dominated the number of carries given to 49ers running backs since he arrived in San Francisco via trade from the Carolina Panthers in 2022. But on Thursday, the 49ers split carries between McCaffrey and rookie Kaelon Black, revealing a combination that appears to have plenty of promise.

McCaffrey finished with 10 carries for 68 yards, while Black ran for 65 yards on 14 carries. The 49ers also got contributions from quarterback Brock Purdy (five carries, 30 yards) and wide receiver Deebo Samuel (one carry, 12 yards) on route to racking up 174 total rushing yards on 30 carries. Purdy and Samuel will surely pop up in the running game again down the line, but the performance of McCaffrey and Black, both of whom seemed to get stronger as the game went along, bodes well for the future of this offense.

"I thought they both ran really hard and really well," head coach Kyle Shanahan said. "I'll see on the plane exactly how good it was, but it felt like it out there. That was a goal for us coming into this, trying to balance it out more, whether it was with Kaelon, whether it was getting Deebo some carries. Christian went out with a little bit with cramps, but he didn't miss much, came back quick. And they all helped today."

It was a memorable debut for Black, who went from winning a national championship in his final season at Indiana University to playing his first NFL game in Australia. Black had some nerves at first, but he settled into the game nicely as it progressed.

"It definitely ended up slowing down after a couple of carries," Black said. "The nerves are always there. The nerves in the league is a little bit different than college. But as the game started going on, it definitely started to slow down."

Black told reporters after the game that he was surprised at the amount of carries he received, but he was able to handle it with no problem.

"Honestly, I didn't (expect it), but I was up for it," Black said. "The coaches got me prepared and just being locked in and keyed in to the details as much as we could this week."

McCaffrey, who also caught five passes for 20 yards, will undoubtedly remain the go-to back for the 49ers. But Black showed he could be a problem for defenses as a rookie, and that he and McCaffrey together could be a difficult tandem to hold in check.

"He did incredible," McCaffrey said of Black. "He's an awesome back, man, and I said this earlier, but he's a force and he's someone that's going to help our team a whole lot. And, you know, it was really cool to see him go out there and just do what he does."

Welcome back Fred, and Deebo, and George, and Nick, and Dre

It felt like 2024 all over again for the 49ers on Thursday, who welcomed linebacker Fred Warner, defensive end Nick Bosa and tight end George Kittle from significant injuries and wide receiver Deebo Samuel and linebacker Dre Greenlaw from one-year departures to other teams. There were mixed results for each of them, but each made their impact felt in their first games back.

Warner, who missed all but six games in 2025 due to an ankle injury, looked to be in All-Pro form with 11 tackles and a forced fumble. He also surpassed Patrick Willis to become the leading tackler in the history of the 49ers.

"Fred means everything to me," Shanahan said. "I don't want to coach very much when Fred's not around. What he does on the field, what he does in the meetings, how he is every single day. Fred, I don't think has ever had a bad day in his life. He is one of the most impressive people I've been around. I think he just passed Pat Willis today for the most tackles in the history of our franchise. And he's got a lot more ahead of him, too. So Fred's the man."

While Warner looked like his old self, Bosa proved to be a sight for sore eyes as well. Bosa, who missed most of 2025 with a torn ACL, finished with four tackles, two tackles-for-loss, and a quarterback hit, while looking impactful at defensive end.

"Honestly, I wasn't ready for it," Bosa said of getting to quarterback Matthew Stafford early in the game. "I feel like I could have gotten to him quicker. I tossed him out of the way and kind of stood there for a split second. But yeah, a good way to start."

Kittle had two catches for 12 yards on five targets while making an impact as a blocker. He made an impressively fast return from a torn Achilles he suffered in January but admitted after the game that he's not back to game shape yet.

"Not in shape. Not at all," Kittle said. "But hey, I think I caught my second wind in the second half, so that'll mean that I get to play more football next week."

Kittle was proud of the team's blocking performance, however, and the part he played in it.

"I think we rushed for like 175, and I don't think Brock got touched besides like a penalty on him," Kittle said. "It's a shout-out to the offensive line for holding it down, our coaches and their game plan, and then our tight ends, fullbacks, running backs, wide receivers on the chips, kept their edges out of it. Football's a really hard sport, and it doesn't honestly matter who you have lined up, you still have to go out there and execute every single snap. And I just thought that our O-line and all the guys who were part of blocking for these two running the ball, I think they did an excellent job."

In his first game back with the 49ers after spending a year with the Denver Broncos, Greenlaw finished with six tackles and teamed with Warner on his forced fumble. Greenlaw wrapped up tight end Tyler Higbee on the play, while Warner ran in to knock the ball loose.

"I know he's coming, so that's exactly what the mindset was there," Greenlaw said. "I mean, we're just trying to play football, playing fast."

As for Samuel, he had a very Samuel-esque performance, contributing in a number of ways. Samuel finished with one carry for 12 yards, a 45-yard kickoff return, and six catches for 48 yards and one touchdown.

"Deebo has that presence that when he's on the field, he's such a game breaker," McCaffrey said. "He's a player that the defense has to look to in in any situation. Super explosive and can do a lot when the ball's in his hands."

For Samuel, who played in Washington in 2025, everything was just like old times.

"It felt great," Samuel said. "From training camp to the day that I got here, you know, they welcomed me with open arms. Like I said earlier when I got here, it felt like I never left. I was really only gone for like what, seven months? And then right back."

Round 1 goes to Trent

This season's 49ers-Rams meetings will feature two future Hall of Famers facing off in left tackle Trent Williams and defensive end Myles Garrett. Williams played a significant part in blanking Garrett on Thursday, as Garrett was held to zero sacks, zero tackles and zero quarterback hits -- a rarity in his career.

Garrett, who was making his Rams debut after posting an NFL-record 23 sacks with the Cleveland Browns in 2025, said after the game he was not 100 percent as he continues to deal with knee issues.

"This was the worst version of myself that I've put out there," Garrett said, per ESPN. "And I've got to be better. I've got to find a way to recover and get back to the player I know I can be and I've shown that I've been before."

Williams said he couldn't tell that anything was wrong with Garrett's knee.

"He's still really hard to block, so... No, I mean, he's one of those players where it's just, no matter what he's going through, it's still not an easy out for anybody," Williams said.

Big moment for Renardo Green

Third-year cornerback Renardo Green had one of the most important plays of Thursday's game when he intercepted a pass from Matthew Stafford to put a halt to a potential scoring drive.

With the Rams up 7-3 in the second quarter, Green stepped in front of a deep ball from Stafford at the 49ers' 13-yard line to change the momentum of the game, which at that time had been in the Rams' favor.

"They had run a seven-cut earlier, but they were running it way deeper than what we anticipated," Green said of his interception. "They tried to hit us with it again. The way I played it, I'm like, "I know he doesn't see me, and even if he does, he doesn't think I could get to it.' So he underestimated my abilities and what I can do, and I made him pay for it. I just sunk under it and made a play on the ball."

It was the second NFL interception for Green, who made headlines after getting chewed out by Shanahan during the 49ers' playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks last season. Shanahan had high hopes for Green coming into the season due to what he showed throughout the year.

"Oh, it was huge for Renardo," Shanahan said. "Renardo had such a good training camp, he had such a good off-season, starting back to Phase 1 and OTAs. He was to me one of the guys I was most excited about this year, just in terms of taking such a big step from the year before. And then he had that hamstring which set him back, and he wasn't able to go until this week. He was working all week to get up, and for him to be able to be healthy enough to play in that game, make it through the game without getting an injury, and to play at the level he did, I thought that was huge."

Mentioned in this article: Kaelon Black, Nick Bosa, Renardo Green, Dre Greenlaw, George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey, Brock Purdy, Deebo Samuel, Fred Warner, Trent Williams