As preseason kicks off, and the Chiefs come to town, what should 49ers fans keep an eye on?
The roster is solidifying, and the preseason will be crucial in deciding bubble roster spots and determining roles for the 2021 season.
Every offseason feels extremely long in the anticipation of 49ers football returning. That moment is now just hours away. The 49ers have a fresh start with many new players, and some returning ones - forget the revenge tour.
The Chiefs are the first preseason opponent for the 49ers, and this preseason game - albeit, again, preseason, does have regular season implications. What should you watch for?
The first glimpse of Trey Lance*
The asterisk is for obvious reasons. Once again, it is a preseason game. But the ramifications are clear. This will be Lance’s first taste of NFL experience, and his first game experience in 10 months. And like it or not, this is where Lance can really begin to prove to HC Kyle Shanahan if he’s ready to start games this season or not. It will be 30 snaps that Lance gets, some of which will be against the Chiefs first team if what Andy Reid stated remains true going into Saturday evening.
Don’t expect much - expect Lance to be rusty and learning the speed of the NFL game, whether it’s preseason or not. But you can be excited. Lance is the only QB drafted in the 1st round since 2005 by the 49ers. Lance is the youngest QB in pro football. He’s one of the most dynamic QB prospects to come out of the draft in quite some time.
There are specific things to watch for with Lance. How will he respond to being hit by NFL players? How will he fare under pressure - something that should be expected with a second team OL that is… very questionable, to say the least. How will Lance’s mechanics fare in a game environment? His accuracy along with his experience were among his most scrutinized traits coming out of the draft - has it really improved, as reported in training camp?
And most importantly - how will he fare under the bright lights for the first time? He is debuting at home - something that is likely to be nerve-wracking. It’s only a preseason game, but this is where Lance can begin to shape his career - especially when it comes to proving himself ready.
Narrowing down depth
Training camp has offered some insight as to who is separating themselves in key positional battles, whether it is for QB3, WR3, or other positions. There are players that have clearly established themselves in camp, but they’ll have to prove it in the preseason.
Trent Sherfield and Mohamed Sanu
Sherfield is the most consistent pass-catcher that isn’t part of the “big three” during training camp. He’s caught multiple passes in seemingly every practice, he catches passes from seemingly every QB, and he’s mixing it up with his impact. He participates on special teams, he’s caught balls downfield, over the middle, underneath - overall, Sherfield has been incredibly solid. If he can continue this in a game environment, Sherfield could be a diamond in the rough for an offense in desperate need of some consistency at the WR3 spot. Sherfield seems like the obvious candidate to take over the hole that Kendrick Bourne has left, and all Sherfield has done this summer is dominate training camp.
As for Sanu, Sanu has also had a great training camp. He’s firmly in the roster conversation, but after a less than effective 2020 campaign following an injured 2019 season, Sanu is aging and losing his effectiveness. Does he still have gas in the tank? Preseason will go a long way in illuminating this.
Arden Key and Jordan Willis
Key and Willis have shined with the on-and-off statuses of Nick Bosa, Dee Ford, and Samson Ebukam, the main three EDGE rushers on the 49ers team. Key, as mentioned in prior articles, has all the talent in the world. If he’s figured it out, he could be a very good rotational EDGE. Willis has come on strong as of late too, and had a very good day of practice on Wednesday. Both are disappointing third round picks that are on different teams than they began their career with, but both could definitely be contributors, especially under the tutelage of Kris Kocurek. Both have shown flashes of good play, but can they put the pieces together?
One thing is for sure. Nick Bosa and Dee Ford aren’t the poster boys for health - the 49ers will need to rotate their DL frequently. Key and Willis will be essential to keeping the pass-rush effective when Bosa, Ford, or Ebukam need a breather.
Talanoa Hufanga and Tavon Wilson
Hufanga has come on really strong as of late in eleven on eleven drills during training camp. The 5th round pick out of USC was known for his hard-hitting, tackling ability, and instincts during his time in college, but Hufanga is finding other ways to shine as well. He’s done very well in coverage, even playing single high safety which was something many did not foresee Hufanga, who’s not considered to be fast, playing. Hufanga had a great one handed interception during eleven on eleven drills on Wednesday, accompanied with a good return, and he seems to be everywhere making plays. His instincts have clearly shined to start.
As for Tavon Wilson, the veteran S has bounced around the league for years but seems to have found a niche, at least in camp - with the absence of Jaquiski Tartt. Tartt, who Kyle Shanahan has said will not return anytime soon as he is dealing with a turf-toe injury, leaves a hole in the middle of the 49ers defense, and Wilson is at the front to take over. He’s been consistently good during camp and has performed well against George Kittle at times. Hufanga and Wilson will be a battle to watch, but I could really see Hufanga winning the job at SS.
Additionally, the signing of Ha Ha Clinton-Dix has another challenger in this fold. The 28 year old has been a good player for the majority of his carer but has seen a dramatic reduction in production following a decent 2019 with the Bears. Clinton-Dix is new to the locker room but has the proven production and pedigree that both Wilson and Hufanga for differing reasons do not possess.
DeMeco Ryans’ debut
indeed, the defensive scheme is not expected to change very much under DeMeco Ryans. But he will add his own flavor to a defense that has plenty of talent returning. Every defensive coordinator says they’ll be more aggressive, I don’t expect Ryans to be different - but what types of coverages will Ryans favor? How will he make adjustments? These are all crucial questions, and the season hangs in the balance on Ryans - defense wins championships, and the 49ers are a contending team with a rookie DC. There is a lot of pressure on Ryans, but everything indicates that he’ll pass every test with flying colors.
Already, one can see changes with the personnel that the 49ers have favored bringing in this offseason. Both Ambry Thomas and Deommodore Lenoir are press-heavy, physical corners. Jason Verrett and Moseley are similar, and the 49ers are expected to play a lot more man coverage this season. Cover 1 was a staple during the open practice, and expect to see some more variations during the preseason as the ramp-up continues.
Although the Chiefs starters aren’t expected to play past the first quarter, the Andy Reid scheme alone, along with the raw speed that the Chiefs seemingly have everywhere on their roster - both combine to create a daunting first task to stop. Although it’s preseason, it’ll be interesting to see how Ryans defends the Reid offense, especially when his first team defense and stalwarts like Fred Warner are off the field.
The other rooks
Aaron Banks needs to step up. The rookie RG did not impress in camp, and did not take the starting job like almost everyone expected him to. Instead, Daniel Brunskill continues at RG. But Banks can reinsert himself into the conversation with a strong showing on Saturday.
The same goes for Hufanga, who was already mentioned above. Ambry Thomas and Deommodore Lenoir can prove themselves worthy of roles in their rookie seasons - Thomas especially can try to grasp a starting job sooner rather than later, and I don’t mean at CB. Rather, Thomas with his elite speed could be an ideal returner when the 49ers don’t want to put Aiyuk out there.
Trey Sermon and Elijah Mitchell will also get their first taste of true, NFL contact. Don’t be surprised if the latter outperforms the former, Mitchell looked quite good in camp with the exception of some rookie hiccups. Sermon’s steady running style could also lend itself really well to the NFL-style of rushing attack.
While watching Sermon throughout this offseason, one name kept coming to mind. Nick Chubb.
Sermon reminds me so much of the Georgia product when he was a draft prospect, back in 2018. Sermon is the type of running back that always falls forward, and that seems to routinely run through arm tackles. Sermon is just a terrific all-around back, and he seems to be more of the bell-cow type of back than a specialist. It’s clear that Kyle Shanahan wanted a change of pace back. After 4 years of speed, speed, and more speed - courtesy of Raheem Mostert, Matt Breida, and more, Sermon is a new style.
And don’t forget about Jaylon Moore - Moore looked like the best 2nd team OL on multiple occasions throughout camp. He seems to be firmly in the running for the swing tackle job, if not the favorite - which is a good sign for a late round pick.
I usually ignore preseason games because, c’mon, but this year is different. Let’s avoid the injuries, please! Excited about this team.
Well, the OL needs more solidifying after the Chiefs game. Aaron Banks apparently is not developing into a strong RG as hoped, and Brunskill can fill in and be OK, but we were hoping for better and hoping Brunskill could be our verstile backup ( he can play all three positions, T, G, and C). Neither Compton or McKivitiz have inspired confidence so far.
Did anyone notice how Shon Coleman played? If he can regain his old form and be backup T, maybe Jaylon Moore can play RG. He's the only young OL doing well so far, and that would alow us to keep Brunskill as our versatile backup.
Another possibility is hoping we can trade one of our excess talented DL to a team with an excess of good offensive lineman, preferably RG. We have at least 12 very good DL and usually only keep 10.