With the 49ers through their second preseason game, a handful of roster and depth-chart races are starting to tilt in one direction. A few players have done enough in live action to make their cases harder to ignore.
One of the clearest examples is the return job, which has bounced around all summer. The competition has gone from Cowing to Jordan Watkins, then Deebo Samuel, and back to Cowing.
Now healthy for the first time in a few weeks, Cowing wasted no time making noise with a punt return for a touchdown. That kind of burst is hard to bench.
If he can stay on the field, he looks like the favorite to land the role.
Wallow has also put himself in position to stick. He has started two weeks in a row, and even with Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw not playing, the team’s handling of the spot suggests he’s the next man up behind Jaden Dugger if injuries hit.
He also started in the playoffs last year and brings special teams value, which only strengthens his case. He is going to make the team.
Valdez is another player whose usage has been telling. The 49ers have shown the same pattern for two straight weeks, and it’s clear they like what they see.
When Osa Odighizuwa finished his work, the team turned to the second-year UDFA. Last week, Valdez started for the 49ers ahead of Gracen Halton and C.J.
West. That kind of usage points to a real chance he sticks as a depth piece on the roster.
On the offensive line, the fourth-round rookie from Washington may be winning the left guard job by default. Connor Colby has spent the last two weeks at right guard and hasn’t really been in the mix for the other spot.
Veteran Robert Jones got his chance, but the free agent didn’t see any game action with Brock Purdy and the first-team offense. Willis did, and the team trusted him enough to start in front of Purdy in the preseason.
He played well, and with nobody else making a stronger push, the job may be his.
Willis also saw time with the first-team offense in three-tight-end looks. If George Kittle were to miss Week 1, the 49ers would need to activate the 2023 seventh-round pick, who has been active for 23 games in three seasons.
And on the edge, Okuayinonu may have set himself up for a Week 1 start. With Mykel Williams unlikely to play and Keion White working back from injury, the path is open. He started and finished with two tackles in the win, and that may be enough to put him in line for the opening-week role.
In Other News...
49ers Roster Battle Took A Turn During This Preseason Blowout
The 49ers turned a preseason blowout into a long look at the bottom of the roster, and the game quickly became more about auditions than the score. Brock Purdy played briefly before giving way, San Francisco was up 20-3 by halftime and stretched the margin to 41-9 in the second half, opening the door for a cluster of rookies and fringe players to get extended snaps in a live setting.
Jacob Cowing, DeZhaun Stribling, Kaelon Black, Carver Willis, Austen Pleasants and Jalen Stroman all saw meaningful action, with the results mixed as the staff sorted through a crowded roster battle. Adrian Martinez handled the second half and left a little bit of everything on the tape, including a pick-six, but also a rushing touchdown and a passing touchdown as the 49ers kept the scoreboard moving while the evaluation window stayed wide open. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Injury Pileup Is Raising New Concerns Before Week 1
The 49ers left their preseason game against the Chargers with more than just the usual August bruises. Guard Austen Pleasants was ruled out with a knee injury, and rookie cornerback Renardo Green also left the contest and was questionable to return before ultimately not coming back. For a team trying to get through camp healthy and ready for Week 1, those are the kinds of exits that can linger well beyond one exhibition game.
Kyle Shanahans update on the defensive front added another layer to the concern, even if it came with some cautious optimism. He said Nick Bosa is making progress, while Mykel Williams is still trending toward missing the season opener. With the regular season approaching, the 49ers are once again navigating the uncomfortable mix of waiting, monitoring, and hoping the injury report does not keep growing. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Facing Uncomfortable Roster Calls As Two Camp Battles Intensify
The 49ers are moving deeper into preseason evaluation mode, and a couple of roster questions are starting to feel less like camp chatter and more like decisions the front office may have to live with. Christian McCaffrey remains part of the bigger picture, but the more immediate pressure is on players such as Kirk and Colby, whose place on the roster now depends on how the team weighs performance, health, and fit as August unfolds.
Kirks case has become especially tricky because the injury interruptions have stacked up alongside a dip in production, which puts him in the middle of a real cut conversation rather than a routine depth chart debate. Colby, meanwhile, is fighting a different kind of battle, one centered on the starting guard job and the sort of interior competition Kyle Shanahan and Chris Foerster tend to use as a true test of who can hold up when the pads come on. [Read more 🡒]