The San Francisco 49ers have several players vying for roster spots. Some players are fighting uphill battles, others are looking to carve out roles, while a few are trying to prove to the coaching staff that they’re worth keeping around.
The 49ers are still looking to find which receiver/returner, left guard, linebacker, and defensive tackle can solidify themselves on the depth chart. We’ll focus on those four positions and players in Thursday’s preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Can Jacob Cowing overtake Jordan Watkins for the final spot?
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Watkins played a total of 63 snaps last week. That is somebody the team is trying to evaluate. Watkins spent most of his time out wide at receiver. He only played six snaps in the slot.
Watkins caught six of his nine targets for 59 yards, including 23 yards after the catch. Two of those targets came behind the line of scrimmage, and another three were underneath nine yards. His best play didn’t count. It was a 20-yard reception where Watkins caught a pass that was behind him.
Watkins has been up and down in August. Catching the ball with consistency has been a struggle, as has dealing with physicality. On De’Zhaun Stribling’s 32-yard reception, Watkins was still dancing his way into the route after Kurtis Rourke was blitzed.
Those are the little things that will make quarterbacks look the other direction, which is why we saw Rourke look for Malik Turner more than Watkins when he was in. Most of Watkins’ targets came with Adrian Martinez under center.
Watkins didn’t have a chance to return a kick. He fair-caught one punt return and returned the other one for four yards.
Watkins will look to fend off Jacob Cowing, who looked great during OTAs, but has been sidelined for multiple weeks with a hip injury. I have a soft spot for Cowing. He’s one of the few players who plays as fast as his 40 time. He can legitimately run by any defensive back, and that’s something the 49ers took advantage of the second he returned to practice last Saturday and Sunday. It was also the case in the final OTA practice.
Cowing will also get a crack at both return spots, alongside Watkins and undrafted rookie Will Pauling. If the former two can make a splash play on special teams, it’ll be difficult to keep either off the roster.
But the 49ers are going to need Cowing’s dynamic ability at Z receiver with Ricky Pearsall sidelined. Deebo Samuel can take some of that workload, but I can’t imagine teams would defend the 49ers the same way they would with Cowing’s speed on the field as they would with Samuel or Demarcus Robinson.
These next two weeks are huge for Cowing. Will his body hold up?
There are no wrong answers for the 5th defensive tackle spot
What if I told you James Thompson Jr. had the 13th highest win percentage among all defensive tackles during the first week of the preseason? Thompson Jr. won 18.2% of his rushes. Sebastian Valdez was 31st with 13.3%.
Bryson Eason was a dominant force against the run, leading the way with a 10% run stop percentage. Eason didn’t do much as a pass rusher, while Thompson Jr. and Valdez left some meat on the bone defending the run.
They all have vastly different play styles, which is why this training camp battle is the most fun. Thompson Jr. plays like somebody who is 6’6”. His pad level and technique aren’t great, but he has the length and quickness to be disruptive. Valdez has all-upper-body strength, while Eason plays with a lower center of gravity and an exceptional IQ.
Who can put it all together? Who will take a step backward? It’s not all about highlight plays, which is why I lean toward Eason continuing to piece together plays that make him the most reliable moving forward. Thompson Jr. is making it more and more difficult, though.
Whenever you’re ready, left guard
The clock is ticking. The 49ers are running out of time to find out if the starting left guard is on the roster. They’ll default to Robert Jones if they have to, but the signs are pointing to the team wanting Carver Willis to win that job.
I’d expect Willis to play left guard for the first half with the starters tonight. From an evaluation perspective, it’s a great opportunity to see Willis go up against the type of quality veterans he’ll see weekly. He’ll go against 315-, 317-, and 340-pound defensive tackles. Willis shouldn’t be threatened in pass protection, but if he can hold his ground against the run, that might be enough for the coaching staff to name him the starter.
Technically, it’s a three-man race. Connor Colby didn’t play a snap at left guard in the preseason. That could change tonight with Dominick Puni sidelined with a concussion. Expect Robert Jones to play right guard early on with Nick Zakelkj taking the role that Kion Smith had in the second half last week. That allows Colby to get reps at left guard in the second half — if it’s truly a competition.
Who plays where and how often will tell us the left-guard hierarchy. I’m leaning toward the rookie.
Keeping the kids over the vets at linebacker?
There’s a free-for-all behind Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw. The 49ers seem like they’re enamored with rookie Jaden Dugger, who is in line to be the third linebacker — he essentially played that role with the starters in the joint practice on Tuesday. But there were enough clips from that setting that would lead you to believe Dugger still has a long way to go before he can be relied on, which is expected for a fifth-round pick.
Garret Wallow is the veteran whom the team trusts to get everybody lined up and play on passing downs. He came in for Nick Martin in those situations during the first preseason game. If Martin plays with the same inconsistent trigger he did last week, I’m not sure how the Niners roster him. Tatum Bethune was better than Martin, although he wasn’t without mistakes, either.
Larry Worth III remains the wild card. He played with the starters in the red zone on Tuesday, which tells you Raheem Morris is intrigued by his skill set. Would the Niners dare reset the roster by keeping players like Worth III over the likes of Luke Gifford/Garret Wallow?
It’s a dangerous game to play when you side with youth and athleticism over experience. It’s difficult to tell which linebackers are a lock after the trio of Warner, Greenlaw, and Dugger, which makes preseason games all the more important.
