2 former 49ers who struggled in Week 1 (and 2 who thrived)

A number of 49ers alumni made news over the course of Week 1, for reasons both good and bad.

Week 1 of any given season is always a bit of an anomaly (remember the San Francisco 49ers' opening-week wins back in 2015 and 2016?), and performances by both teams and players are rarely indicators of how things will go over the full course of a year.

The Niners, of course, were idle on the first Sunday of 2024, awaiting their regular-season opener on Monday Night Football against the visiting New York Jets, who've ended up employing quite a number of former San Francisco players under head coach Robert Saleh.

It'll be interesting to see how these 49ers alumni perform against their former team, yes. But, with 30 other teams having wrapped up their Week 1 efforts, which other previous Niners players made an impact or flopped in the opening round of games across the league?

Let's take a look at two former San Francisco players who struggled in Week 1 as well as two who excelled.

Struggled: Dolphins RB Raheem Mostert

49ers fans have fond memories of veteran running back Raheem Mostert, who helped carry the Niners through the 2020 playoffs.

But Mostert was also injury-prone, and that trend bit hard in Week 1 during the Miami Dolphins' 20-17 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Mostert's stat line -- six rushes for 9 yards, two receptions on three targets for 10 yards -- isn't exactly indicative of a breakout Week 1 performance, and he suffered what appears to be a left shoulder injury in the fourth quarter.

Leading up to that point, though, one figures Mostert would have had a bigger impact.

Thrived: Jaguars DT Arik Armstead

In that same game, former San Francisco defensive tackle Arik Armstead helped the Jags justify signing him to a lucrative offseason contract after the 49ers released him for salary cap-savings purposes.

Armstead recorded only one tackle in the bout versus Miami, but it was a crucial third-down sack when Jacksonville was still leading:

Ultimately, that play didn't stop the Jaguars from losing their lead in the end. But, the Jags can feel pretty good about the defensive addition after Armstead's prowess was displayed.

One the 49ers could sorely miss this season.

Struggled: Seahawks OL Laken Tomlinson

The Niners certainly got the best version of offensive guard Laken Tomlinson before he jettisoned to the Jets in 2022, then signed with the Seattle Seahawks after two forgettable years there.

After one week, it appears Tomlinson might help with the Hawks' run game, but he wasn't exactly the surefire protector in pass pro.

Allowing a hit in the game, Pro Football Focus shockingly awarded him a 71.1 overall game grade, which prompted some provocative responses from Seahawks Twitter, including this one.

Much of the criticism then focused on Seattle opting to go with rookie lineman Christian Haynes, who at least has the potential long-term upside.

Based on one week, perhaps it's a change the Hawks will pursue sooner than later.

Thrived: Vikings QB Sam Darnold

Most former Niners quarterbacks haven't had great success elsewhere after departing head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense.

But it appears as if last year's No. 2 signal-caller for San Francisco, now-Minnesota Vikings starter Sam Darnold, is the one-week exception.

Darnold was quality in Week 1, taking advantage of rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy's yearlong knee-injury absence, leading the Norsemen to a 28-6 victory over the New York Giants by completing nearly 70 percent of his passes with two touchdowns against an interception, posting a 113.2 passer rating in the process.

Few 49ers fans would have likely predicted that sort of outing from Darnold to open up 2024, although it'll be interesting to see how he fares against his former team when the Niners visit Minnesota in Week 2.

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