Niners Nation
The San Francisco 49ers sat out the majority of their starters against the Denver Broncos in their first preseason game, as well as anybody with a hint of an injury concern. That means the door was open for players lower on the depth chart to make some noise for themselves.
Let’s review each position to see whether anybody climbed the depth chart or if they hurt their stock after one game.
No Brock Purdy, no problem, right? Not quite. Credit Mac Jones for throwing a dime to Jordan Watkins on a 50-yard bomb. Jones completed 50 percent of his other throws for 24 yards and an interception, and took a pair of sacks. The interception wasn’t entirely on Jones, but it felt like that throw was in the air for five seconds, giving the defender time to break on the pass.
Carter Bradley threw 14 passes against Denver. He had one completion beyond ten yards. Despite being kept clean on 85 percent of his dropbacks, Bradley completed 50 percent of his passes, put one of those throws in harm’s way, and looked uncertain and unsteady in the pocket. Bradley is the definition of a practice squad quarterback.
Tanner Mordecai only had six attempts. He completed three of those for 21 yards with an interception, most high school quarterbacks know not to throw, and a costly fumble.
Watching the 49ers quarterbacks on Saturday night and wondering, “Could they get away with keeping one quarterback?”
Corey Kiner had 10 carries for 45 yards, with 38 of those coming after contact, and had a 10-yard rush while forcing three missed tackles. Kiner won’t be confused with Christian McCaffrey anytime soon, but he did his job. That’s enough to make the roster…for now.
Patrick Taylor was underwhelming with the ball in his hands, but he’ll make the roster because he does everything else right, is dependable, and is a special teamer.
Ke’Shawn Vaughn had one carry.
Ameer Abdullah, as a running back, you have one job. Hold onto the football. Sure, he suffered a rib injury, but that was after Abdullah coughed up the football. He had four carries for 20 yards, with ten of those yards coming on one play. Abduallh didn’t force any missed tackles. It would be surprising if the 49ers gave Abdullah another shot this week.
He only had two targets, but Demarcus Robinson is the real deal and will be a staple in the 49ers’ offense this season. Let’s hope his suspension doesn’t last longer than three games.
Jordan Watkins looks like a player transitioning from a college offense. He can run. There’s no denying that. But Watkins busted a route that led to a turnover, and struggled to get off press coverage, leading to a sack. Talanoa Hufanga found out what happens when Watkins is matched up with a safety, and an explosive every other game would be a...
