Your daily San Francisco 49ers links for Sunday, August 22, 2021
It’s game day! We’ll get an extended look at Jimmy Garoppolo and the rest of the 49ers starters for at least a quarter tonight. He’ll be without Trent Williams and likely Deebo Samuel, though.
I want to see how Samson Ebukam looks. He’s fascinating. More on that later.
Today is Nate Sudfeld’s last chance to prove to Kyle Shanahan that he’s worthy of a roster spot. The 49ers are using the final preseason game as a dress rehearsal for the regular season.
That means Jimmy Garoppolo for the first half and perhaps even a series into the third quarter. That would mean Trey Lance gets the majority of the remainder of the game. That doesn’t leave any room for Sudfeld.
6 49ers to watch on defense in 2nd preseason game vs. Chargers
Key wound up putting together a decent game against the Chiefs, but his production in the early going against the Kanas City starters was a little worrisome. He’ll have another chance Sunday for plenty of reps with the first team. A couple of splash plays against a top offensive line would go a long way toward helping Key secure a roster spot and earn a bigger role in the defense when the regular season starts.
Mayden, a second-year undrafted safety from Alabama, put together a really solid performance last week. Given the lack of reliable depth at safety, it stands to reason Mayden could wind up making the final roster. He had two tackles last week and did a nice job in coverage as well. Another good game from him would go a long way toward helping him make the team.
NFL 100: At No. 19, Ronnie Lott was fueled by the whispers of past NFL greats — ‘He was a destroyer’
“I met some guys that are part of this top 100 group and I still hear their voices,” Lott said, his own voice crackling with emotion. “I still hear the voices talking to me.”
“There have been multiple occasions where I’ve called Ronnie and said, ‘Hey, would you be willing to have a cup of coffee with a particular player?” said former teammate and current 49ers senior advisor to the general manager Keena Turner. “And he’s never said no. And I mean multiple times over the years. He’s always had that in him — an understanding of the leadership piece and how he views the game and historically how he wants to have a place in that.”
53-man roster projection 3.0: Heading into 2nd preseason game
Fred Warner
Dre Greenlaw
Azeez Al-Shaair
Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles
Mychal Kendricks
The 49ers added Kendricks late in camp. He replaces Marcell Harris in this projection for now, but the back of the LB group could change a lot before final cuts. Kendricks has a ton of experience, which is where the 49ers’ LB corps is lacking. If the team is okay with that roster spot not going to a special teams contributor, he could by the player who gets in.
Jimmy Garoppolo’s Injury Risk Should Relegate Him to 49ers QB
Garoppolo is a seasoned veteran, and by all accounts has had a fine camp, but it has been obvious to all that Lance offers so much more to this offense with his physical skill set alone. Garoppolo should have been able to make it easy to confirm his status as QB1 through his play during camp, but unfortunately for him, the two QBs have been pretty even. In my opinion, if the two quarterbacks continue to perform at even levels throughout the rest of camp, the edge should go to the rookie.
Because of what he provides in the run game.
Here are the eight plays that Lance ran with the first team:
- Lance shovel pass to wide receiver Deebo Samuel that went to the left side of the line
- Lance handed off to running back Raheem Mostert
- Lance faked the handoff to Mostert, then ran to the right side
- Lance held the ball in the pocket before taking a sack
- Lance zone read, ran up the middle
- Lance handed off to running back JaMycal Hasty who ran to the left side
- Lance completed a pass to Samuel in the middle of the field. He was being covered by Chargers cornerback Tevaughn Campbell
- Lance completed a pass to wide receiver Mohamed Sanu on the left sideline