The 49ers will have tight end George Kittle for today’s game against the Seahawks after coming down with an illness. Kittle is not on the team’s inactive list, as expected. Defensive end Mykel Williams will make his 2026 debut after working his way back from a knee injury that ended his 2025 season. Cornerback Upton Stout will also play after being listed as questionable with a shoulder injury. The 49ers already had ruled out defensive lineman Nick Bosa (knee/calf), defensive lineman James Thompson Jr. (ankle), fullback Kyle Juszczyk (knee and safety Marques Sigle (ankle). Linebacker Tatum Bethune, offensive lineman Enrique Cruz and quarterback Kurtis Rourke are the other inactives. The Seahawks’ inactives are quarterback Jalen Milroe, running back Robert Henry Jr., linebacker Chazz Surratt (calf), wide receiver Montorie Foster Jr. and tight end Nick Kallerup. Milroe will serve as the emergency third quarterback
The Chargers will not have safety Derwin James today against the Seahawks. James is inactive with his hamstring injury after being listed as questionable. The other four players the Chargers listed as questionable are dressed. Backup quarterback Trey Lance (groin), wide receiver Ladd McConkey (foot), safety Elijah Molden (hamstring) and cornerback Donte Jackson (concussion) are active. The team’s other inactives are quarterback Dj Uiagalelei, offensive lineman Alex Harkey, offensive lineman Kayode Awosika (fibula), tight end Charlie Kolar (forearm), wide receiver Brenen Thompson (quadriceps) and defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson (hamstring). Uiagalelei will serve as the emergency third quarterback. The Seahawks will not have safety Ty Okada for a fourth consecutive game due to a hamstring injury. The team listed him as questionable. Rodney Thomas II will start for Okada again. Cornerback Avery Smith, linebacker Chazz Surratt (calf), wide receiver Montorie Foster Jr., tight end Nick Kallerup, nose tackle Brandon Pili and quarterback Jalen Milroe are the other inactives. Milroe will serve as the emergency third quarterback
After the NFL Draft concluded, the Seattle Seahawks had very little room left to add undrafted free agents. Even so, the Seahawks chose to bring in tight end Lance Mason. At first glance, that decision seems difficult to justify. Seattle’s tight end room is already crowded. AJ Barner emerged as a legitimate contributor following a strong second season. Elijah Arroyo remains one of the organization’s most significant recent investments at the position. Eric Saubert received a somewhat surprising extension during the middle of last year , while Harrison Bryant , Nick Kallerup , and even Brady Russell continue fighting for specialized roles throughout the roster. On paper, there simply doesn’t appear to be much room available. Then again, that’s true for most undrafted free agents who ultimately make NFL rosters. They enter crowded rooms by definition. And Seattle, perhaps more than most organizations, has built a long history of finding contributors where other teams saw camp bodies. Growing up in Rockwall, Texas, he spent much of his high school career playing on both sides of the ball at Rockwall-Heath High School, lining up as both a linebacker and a tight end. He never developed the prototypical frame of a dominant inline tight end, but he did carry over many of the traits associated with defensive football: physicality, spatial awareness, and a natural comfort operating near traffic. Despite that versatility, he barely registered on the recruiting landscape. Mason finished high school as an unranked prospect in the 2022 recruiting cycle and ultimately landed at Missouri State in the FCS. His first two seasons were relatively quiet from a production standpoint. He functioned primarily as a complementary piece within the offense, rotating snaps and serving as a security blanket in underneath situations. The breakthrough came in 2024. With a larger role in the Bears’ offense, Mason posted 34 receptions, 590 yards, and six touchdowns, emerging as one of the more productive tight ends in the conference. That season opened the door to a much bigger opportunity. In 2025, he transferred to Wisconsin. Many FCS tight ends produce because they overwhelm inferior competition physically. Mason’s transition is notable because he did the opposite. He jumped up a level and remained productive despite playing within an offense that struggled to consistently generate explosive plays through the air. Leading Wisconsin in receiving yards with 398 may not immediately jump off the stat sheet, but context matters. The Badgers’ passing game was inconsistent throughout much of the season. Protection issues, limited vertical efficiency, and an overall lack of explosiveness frequently constrained the offense. Yet Mason kept finding ways to contribute. And that’s one of the more interesting aspects of his NFL projection. The tape consistently shows a player capable of remaining useful regardless of the offensive environment around him. The Seahawks aren’t building a tight end room based solely on athletic mismatches. There is a clear preference for players who can align in multiple locations, execute a variety of assignments, and help preserve offensive flexibility without telegraphing tendencies. Mason checks several of those boxes. The first thing that stands out on film is his understanding of spacing against zone coverage. Many college tight ends simply run through zones at a constant speed, making life easier for linebackers and safeties. Mason operates differently. He shows a natural feel for changing tempo within routes, subtly throttling down without disrupting timing with the quarterback. Small head fakes, slight variations in pace, and an understanding of defensive leverage allow him to settle into voids rather than carry defenders directly into throwing windows. On stick concepts, spacing routes, and shallow sits, he consistently presents clean targets. Several of his most important receptions at Wisconsin came from his
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