Reuben Foster

Rookie linebacker Reuben Foster looked like the best player on the field for the 49ers’ in Week 1, before sustaining a high ankle sprain in the second quarter that knocked him out of the game, and off the field for what was assumed to be around four weeks.

While it’s not exactly good news for 49ers fans, the diagnosis could have been much worse.

Reuben Foster’s NFL debut was cut short in scary fashion on Sunday, when he was carted off the field with a right ankle injury sustained while tackling fellow rookie Christian McCaffrey in the first quarter.

Despite new energy, new confidence, and a new general manager who should help point the franchise in a new direction, the results in Kyle Shanahan’s first act as San Francisco’s head coach were hardly different than the ones posted by the most recent, unsuccessful regimes.

The 49ers’ defense suffered a devastating blow during the first quarter of Sunday afternoon’s season-opening contest against the Carolina Panthers when rookie linebacker Reuben Foster was forced to exit the game with what appeared to be a right ankle injury.

Just how different the 49ers look, and just how much improvement they make will help set the foundation for what first-year head coach Kyle Shanahan’s teams look like in years to come.

That’s the opinion of Daniel Jeremiah at NFL.com, who ranked Foster as not just the top defensive rookie heading into 2017, but the top rookie overall when posting his rankings on Thursday afternoon.

On Saturday afternoon, San Francisco general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan unveiled the first edition of their 53-man regular season roster, and it’s abundantly clear the duo is determined to rebuild the franchise from scratch.

The 49ers ended up taking the Alabama linebacker at the end of the first round, a pick that many considered to be a steal. That sentiment hasn’t changed with the 49ers just over a week away from their season opener versus the Carolina Panthers.

On Sunday evening in Minnesota, first-year 49ers’ defensive coordinator Robert Saleh did what few defensive coordinators for the team have done in the past decade. Saleh took a healthy NaVorro Bowman off the field.