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Is the starting left guard position any closer to being settled? Did Jacob Cowing solidify his roster spot with his long punt return touchdown? How did Kaelon Black look in his game debut?
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These were all questions posed to 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan following his team’s 41-17 preseason victory Thursday over the Chargers in Los Angeles.
At this point, there’s very little to take away from preseason games given how little starters play. Quarterback Brock Purdy got just 12 snaps, while the offense lacked Trent Williams, Christian McCaffrey, Mike Evans and George Kittle, who remains out while he works back from an Achilles tear.
But Shanahan still has decisions to make when it comes to trimming the roster from 90 players to 53 by Aug. 30, which means jobs can still be won or lost.
Left guard is complicated and not getting any clearer
There are four players vying to start at left guard — which clearly isn’t a great sign for the state of the position.
And to make things worse, injuries are a bigger part of the equation.
Connor Colby, Robert Jones, Carver Willis and Austen Pleasants all have a shot to win the job. Shanahan revealed Thursday that Jones is dealing with an undisclosed injury that caused him to miss Thursday, and Pleasants suffered a knee injury in the third quarter that will require imaging.
“It’s going to go down to the wire,” Shanahan said of the left guard battle. “It seemed like those guys did good today. Hopefully we have some good news with (Pleasants) and it’s not too much so he can stay in that battle. But I know he got reps at tackle and at guard. But I think the other guys got to play a lot too. We’re hoping to have some good film on those guys, and we’ll get to that as soon as we get on the plane.”
Carver, Pleasants and Colby all saw time at left guard, with Pleasants beginning the game at left tackle and then moving inside when the starters were removed from the game. His absence in the third quarter led Willis to get back in after starting the game there. Then Colby got reps after starting the game at right guard because Dominick Puni is out with a concussion.
So the battle is complicated. There are a lot of moving parts. And none of it seems close to being solved despite the 49ers getting on a plane to Australia in less than two weeks for the season opener against the Rams, who many expect to have Aaron Donald back from retirement.
Is Jacob Cowing’s spot now secure?
One of the other notable questions facing Shanahan was about punt returning.
None of the options had appeared to solidify themselves, leading to Deebo Samuel returning punts to begin Thursday, which he’s never done in a regular season or playoff game.
But perhaps after Thursday, Shanahan has some clarity given Jacob Cowing took a punt 83 yards the other way for a touchdown.
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“I thought it was huge,” Shanahan said.
It was Cowing’s second punt return attempt of the game. During his first, he lost the ball in the lights, and the ball was downed at San Francisco’s 13-yard line. Shanahan said it cost the 49ers 30 yards.
“So got a little frustrated there,” Shanahan said. “He lost it, and then he definitely redeemed himself on the next one, getting that 80-yarder. It was a big-time play. He’s always shown us his talent since he’s been here. He’s been able to string together a couple of healthy weeks and that was a huge play he had today.”
Cowing appears to be competing with Jordan Watkins for one of the final spots on the roster. What’s unclear is what the 49ers will do with veteran Christian Kirk, who signed in the offseason for one year worth up to $6 million with nearly $3 million guaranteed. Kirk aggravated a calf injury on the first day of training camp and hasn’t practiced since.
Shanahan was asked if Cowing won the punt returner job with the touchdown.
“Not yet,” Shanahan said. “But I like that he’s making it easier.”
Kaelon Black impresses in his debut
The 49ers running game has not been very good early in training camp, particularly since Christian McCaffrey has been out since dealing with “tightness.”
But the tide could be turning with the return of rookie third-round pick Kaelon Black, who made his game debut on Thursday after being out since Aug. 3 with an adductor injury.
Black got the start and ran for 33 yards on eight carries, showing the decisiveness and explosiveness the 49ers liked about him during his time helping Indiana win a national championship last season. Black is the favorite to be McCaffrey’s top backup and has a chance to see significant playing time if Shanahan is serious about trying to keep McCaffrey fresh throughout the season.
Black returned to practice for the joint session with the Chargers on Tuesday before getting the start Thursday.
“I was real happy with him,” Shanahan said. “Seeing him in his first practice there on Tuesday against the Chargers, you could see it a little bit, and I thought nothing changed today. He ran real physical. We’d love to keep him in there a little longer but with it being his second day back, and we were smart with him. Pretty sure he got out healthy and it’ll give him a chance to have four good days this week.”
The 49ers will be back at practice on Saturday and Sunday, with another practice Tuesday before their preseason finale Aug. 27 on the road against the Las Vegas Raiders.
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