The 49ers didn’t just beat the Chargers on Thursday night. They rolled them, 41-17, and did it in a way that gave Kyle Shanahan plenty to like across the board - with the obvious exception of that left guard situation, where Austen Pleasants remains part of the conversation.
For a preseason game, San Francisco looked sharp in all three phases. And when a team wins that cleanly, the individual standouts usually tell the story. On this night, three names rose to the top: Jack Jones, De’Zhaun Stribling and Jacob Cowing.
Jack Jones may have been the quiet force of the bunch, but his impact was hard to miss. He finished with two pass breakups, and both came at important moments.
The first came on a third-and-goal snap, when Jim Harbaugh’s offense went to a fade route and Trey Lance looked for KeAndre Lambert-Smith. Jones didn’t fully turn his body around, but he was in exactly the right spot to knock the play away and force Los Angeles into a short field goal.
He wasn’t done there. On the next drive, with the Chargers facing second down, Lance tried Devonte Ross, and Jones jumped the route beautifully.
He nearly came away with an interception before settling for another PBU. Two plays later, the Chargers turned it over on downs, and the 49ers offense got the ball near midfield.
Raheem Morris has options in a secondary that could be versatile, and Jones made a strong case to be part of that mix.
Stribling kept building on what he showed last week against Tennessee. The box score was solid enough - four catches on five targets for 46 yards - but the bigger takeaway was how often Brock Purdy looked his way.
The 49ers were missing Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle and Mike Evans, so that context matters. Even so, with Deebo Samuel on the field, Stribling was Purdy’s preferred target on his lone drive.
Purdy threw six passes Thursday, and three went to Stribling. He caught all three, and two of them moved the chains on third down.
There was also a drop on a well-placed throw from Mac Jones, which kept the first trip into the Strib Club on hold. Still, with Evans not practicing much, Stribling has been getting valuable reps with Purdy, and that kind of connection is worth watching once the regular season starts.
But the night belonged to Cowing. This was the kind of moment that can change a roster conversation in a hurry.
Cowing entered the night looking like he might be fighting for a place on the team, with punt returns appearing to be his best path. Then he seized the job in spectacular fashion.
Deebo Samuel got the first crack at punt return duties, but his first chance bounced and his second ended with a fair catch. That opened the door, and Shanahan gave Cowing the opportunity. He turned it into an 83-yard touchdown return, a play that should go a long way toward locking down his spot on the 53-man roster.
Had it happened in the regular season, it would have been the 49ers’ first punt return touchdown since Ted Ginn handled that role. Cowing’s burst gave the game one of its best moments, and Deebo Samuel looked just as fired up as anyone - maybe even a little relieved to have one less responsibility on his plate. For a player who has had a tough time finding his footing since being drafted in 2024, it was a huge moment.
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 🡒]