As the San Francisco 49ers line up for a shot at 6-0, the roster questions are piling up heading into Week 6 against the Washington Commanders.
The receiver group is already stretched thin, and Deebo Samuel will not be available in Week 6. That leaves the 49ers even more limited than they already were, with Jacob Cowing, Jordan Watkins, and Brandin Cooks slotted in as the second through fourth receivers behind Mike Evans. The obvious question now is whether the two younger players can handle a bigger load, or whether the team leans more heavily on the veteran Cooks.
There’s also the matter of fullback Kyle Juszczyk, who is back at practice after a knee injury in Week 4. The original expectation was that he would miss a couple of weeks, but after sitting out only one game, he’s not just practicing - he’s working in full.
With San Francisco short on skill-position depth, the 49ers may need to find a substantial role for him if he’s healthy enough to play. The bigger question is what that usage will actually look like.
On defense, the linebacker spot is about to get a lot of attention. Dre Greenlaw is suspended for Week 6, and Garrett Wallow is also likely to be out because of injury.
That sets up rookie Jaden Dugger to get his first real chance as an every-down linebacker. Dugger was viewed as a high-upside project, but the amount of responsibility he has already taken on has helped lift his floor too.
Now comes another test: how does he hold up with even more on his plate?
The 49ers are also still easing Mykel Williams back after his torn ACL last year. In his debut, the former first-round pick played 23 snaps, which was roughly one-third of the defensive work.
He didn’t do much rushing from the interior, even though that was one of the most dynamic parts of his game as a rookie. So the next question is simple: does Williams get a larger role, and do the 49ers deploy him in a more versatile way?
Then there’s Colby, who has exceeded expectations through the first four weeks before crashing back toward reality against the Seahawks. He’s now staring down Daron Payne of the Washington Commanders, and that matchup could be a problem. San Francisco’s backup, Carver Willis, is injured, so the 49ers are stuck relying on Colby.
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