49ers Bring Back Fan-Favorite DT, Name Him Week 1 Starter on the Initial Depth Chart

“I can’t even put into words how I felt when I got the call from Coach Shanahan. Coming back to San Francisco makes me truly happy — to put on the Red & Gold, the colors that have lifted multiple Lombardi Trophies. Being listed as a Week 1 starter on the initial depth chart surprised me, but I’ll be ready and play my heart out for this jersey,” Javon Kinlaw said.

After a one-year stop with the New York Jets, Kinlaw was traded back to the Bay in a low-cost late-round pick swap. The reunion gives San Francisco a ready-made interior piece who already fits Nick Sorensen’s front, minimizing the playbook ramp-up ahead of Week 1.

The team’s first depth chart lists Kinlaw alongside Javon Hargrave as the starting defensive tackles, with Kevin Givens and Kalia Davis on the second line. The roles are clear: Kinlaw can play 1-tech/2i on early downs to anchor the run, while Hargrave works primarily at 3-tech to generate interior disruption. In third-and-long sub-packages, Givens and Davis can rotate in to juice the pass rush and keep the interior fresh.

Before the move back, Kinlaw admitted the trade call caught him off guard mid-routine — and the biggest hassle was simply having to move again. Even so, he emphasized that everything “worked out the right way,” returning to the place where his NFL journey began as a first-round pick and where he was part of San Francisco’s recent NFC title/Super Bowl run.

Kinlaw’s résumé in the Bay is substantial for a still-young DT: 2020 first-rounder (No. 14 overall) out of South Carolina, experience across multiple playoff pushes, and flashes of disruptive power that the 49ers believe can stabilize early downs and open lanes for their edge rushers. With Kinlaw’s familiarity beside Hargrave, San Francisco expects the interior to clamp down on the run and set the table for heavier pressure packages off the edge — Red & Gold business from the very first snap.

The 49ers open the season at Levi’s Stadium against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Sept. 7 (4:25 p.m. ET).