The San Francisco 49ers opened their 2026 preseason slate with a 19-13 loss to the Tennessee Titans at Levi's® Stadium.

Here's what both teams had to say following the contest:

Niners Liners

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan on quarterback Kurtis Rourke's performance in his first NFL action:

"He looked good. Got the ball in the right spot. Thought he hung in there, played well, did a hell of a job on that draw. It looked good out there live."

Shanahan on wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling's performance:

"It seemed good. We'll see when we watch the film. I thought he struggled a little bit on the first drive, but I think he got three drives after that. It seemed like he executed all the stuff that went to him and I liked how his hands looked out there and played physical."

Shanahan on Stribling's development throughout Training Camp:

"He's handling it well. It was tough when he got hurt and he missed that week. Now he's been back for, I believe, a week. Hopefully he can string together two more of these weeks, because he's going about it the right way and as long as he gets those reps and continues to do what he's been doing, he should be ready for the season."

Shanahan on what he's looking for from players competing for roster spots:

"I just like guys separating themselves. We've got a number of guys competing to make this team, a number of guys competing to play, a number of guys competing to try to make this practice squad. I like when guys make it so we don't have to make a tough decision. I like guys to jump out in these games. I like them to jump out at practice."

Shanahan on defensive lineman Gracen Halton's progress:

"It's always tough when these guys miss time, but he's been back for at least a week and I think he's taken 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."

Shanahan on facing Titans head coach Robert Saleh and their conversations throughout the week:

"We sat there and FaceTimed a little bit the last two nights, just talking about what we saw from each other. It's a little bit easier when you're in different conferences. You don't have to lie as much. You can be a little bit more honest, but I know he definitely isn't always. He's still trying to find things out and so am I, but it was good for us to practice against each other, and have someone that you know."

Linebacker Jaden Dugger on facing Tennessee's starters in his first preseason game:

"It was a good feeling. I've been going against the first O-Line here all camp, so I was pretty used to it – going against RB Christian McCaffrey and T Trent Williams. It was good work to be out there against their vets, a good experience."

Dugger on the veterans who have helped him adjust to the NFL:

"I'll say LB Fred Warner for sure. Fred, Dre Greenlaw, Garret Wallow, all the linebackers. And then, (linebackers coach) K.J. (Wright), has been a big help with me. He's pretty experienced in the league, just being in my position... I was here all summer with Fred and Dre too working out, so they got me ready."

Halton on making plays in his first preseason action:

"You play how you practice and there's things. I'm not just going to say, 'I was perfect.' There's a lot of things I need to work on, but I'm just blessed. I give thanks to God, to my teammates, just to make it happen."

Halton on settling into his first NFL game:

"I'm not going to lie, a little bit before the game, I was a little nervous. But once I stepped foot on the field, like I said, 'football is football,' it just came to me."

Stribling on facing Tennessee's first-string defense:

"Just the physicality and the speed, the whole tempo of everything. So, it really is just about getting out there for the first time and getting used to it. It was really fun."

Stribling on his performance in the preseason opener:

"I felt great out there. It felt like it was really clicking with the offense, hearing it in the huddle, and lining up on the field. So, I'm very grateful that I had the opportunities and the passes that I did, I was just trying to translate that and take all my coaching points so I can be better next week."

Titans Quotes

Saleh on his team's performance in the preseason opener:

"I liked the way we came out. The first couple drives for the defense I thought were good. I know they got a couple of first downs there, but overall we just kept points off the board... And then offensively, a really cool drive to start the game with that 95 yarder. And then from there, just never looked like we really settled in, but I was really excited about the way we ran the ball."

Saleh on Stribling's performance against Tennessee's defense:

"That Stribling kid is going to be pretty good. He's a big, strong receiver. Quarterback did a good job giving him a chance and he won some one-on-ones, but I'd love to tell you no concern, but there's a sense of urgency with regards to making sure that we get it fixed."

Titans quarterback Cam Ward on what Tennessee can improve offensively:

"I think we've got to continue to clean up things in the pass game with myself, with the receivers seeing eye-to-eye. I've got to continue to give them better chances at making plays, and I think once we get that we'll be really good."

Ward on the value of preseason reps:

"It's going to help me a lot. Help me get back in rhythm, help me get the flow of the game back, for the entire offense to be in a full-game situation instead of practice or joint practices, and so I think it's going to benefit us a lot playing a certain amount of reps every game."

Ward on his conversations with 49ers linebacker Warner:

"It was great talking to him. I believe he can be a Hall of Fame linebacker, he probably will be, but just him continuing to preach to me: keep the main thing the main thing. Everything that I want I can get, just got to keep on doing the things I'm doing. Work hard and he'll be in my corner for sure."

Titans linebacker Cody Barton on the importance of preseason game action:

"I think it's very important. The timing of it. The full-speed tackling versus just studying, it's very different. Getting that live action in a game-like setting. To me, it's very important and that's why all of us were playing."