Training camp openers are usually background noise, but the 49ers turned theirs into a real roster move. Rookies reported to Santa Clara on July 18, and Adam Schefter was there to capture the scene before the bigger news dropped later that day.
Schefter posted a photo as 49ers rookies arrived for the start of training camp.
Hours later, Schefter followed up with the real headline: the Niners signed punter Jack Bouwmeester to a 3-year contract. That's a notably long commitment for a specialist who wasn't even drafted a few months ago.
Schefter reported the Bouwmeester deal and the Dinkins roster move in one tweet.
49ers have signed P Jack Bouwmeester to a three-year deal and placed TE Khalil Dinkins on the Active/Non-Football Injury List.
Bouwmeester's path here is a good story on its own. The Bendigo, Australia native punted at Texas for just 1 season, averaging 44.5 yards on 59 attempts, before signing with San Francisco as an undrafted free agent following the 2026 draft. Landing a 3-year deal worth a reported $3.115 million total this fast signals the 49ers like what they've seen in camp battles and want the punter job settled heading into the regular season instead of dragging out a summer-long competition.
The other half of Schefter's report is less celebratory. Tight end Khalil Dinkins, also an undrafted rookie who signed with San Francisco this offseason, was placed on the Active/Non-Football Injury list. That designation means the injury didn't happen on the field, which at least suggests it's unrelated to camp contact, but it's still a setback for a player who'd been quietly working his way up the depth chart at a position San Francisco always seems to be searching for depth behind George Kittle.
None of this is Super Bowl-race news, but it's exactly the kind of roster housekeeping that shapes how the 49ers' summer goes. A settled punter competition means one less thing for the coaching staff to manage in August, while Dinkins' NFI stint is one to track — those situations can range from a quick clearance to a lost camp, and how it plays out will say a lot about his chances of making the 53-man roster.