As the preseason winds down for the San Francisco 49ers, the roster decisions are starting to become clear for certain positions. Some positions aren’t as clear, as injuries might force the team’s hand. Obviously, nailing down the left guard spot is the biggest need, but what other position battles are in focus on Thursday night against the Las Vegas Raiders?
The second safety spot
Malik Mustapha still hasn’t returned from injury. Marques Sigle should be the slam-dunk choice to start opposite Ji’Ayir
Brown. Given Sigle’s preseason performance, that is anything but certain. The 49ers didn’t address the position in the draft, signaling confidence in what they had in-house, but a late offseason signing of veteran safety Ashtyn Davis likely meant the team wanted a veteran option after a look at the options during OTAs.
Kyle Shanahan said there won’t be many starters, and while the focus is rightly on left guard, the second safety spot should be just as big of a concern without a clear-cut winner. Thursday night could go a long way to deciding who starts in Week 1.
Cornerback
Upton Stout is looking to return to practice next week, according to Shanahan. Deommodore Lenoir has been dealing with a shoulder injury, but will be fine for the Australia trip. Nobody seems to be discussing the spot opposite Lenoir, as Renardo Green is dealing with a hamstring injury. The logical choice would be veteran Jack Jones, who has impressed in the preseason, but what if upstart Ephesians Prysock has something to say about that on Thursday night?
Darrell Luter, Jr always seems to find himself in the mix somehow, but the smart money should be on Jones to start if Green can’t. As we saw last week with Jacob Cowing, a big play can change everything, so it’s not set in stone.
Linebacker
One of the positions of concern this offseason was linebacker. However, the tide has shifted, and the 49ers now have a deep linebacker group with the emergence of Garrett Wallow, Jaden Dugger, and the potential of Nick Martin. I feel like a broken record, but injuries are running through the linebacker room, with Martin and Luke Gifford dealing with injuries.
Deion Jones’ addition can be viewed as a camp body to get through the game, but a strong performance from the veteran could lead to a roster spot and a special teams contributor if Gifford’s injury lingers. The impact of the special teams ace shouldn’t be overlooked. Thursday night will be interesting for a few reasons.
