Niners Nation
The last time we heard from San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was on Thursday, when he still hadn’t decided whether the starters would play against the Denver Broncos:
“I never like to decide until after this practice. Won’t play a ton of them. That doesn’t mean we’ll rest all 22. But don’t expect to see a lot out there.”
The team had been diligent during training camp when it came to resting their stars and taking care of players who had been nursing injuries. Trent Williams, Nick Bosa, and Christian McCaffrey had gotten consistent rest through the first few weeks. After a joint practice against the Broncos this past week, there’s little reason to risk an injury with any of your starters.
Although he didn’t outright say it, the odds of us seeing Brock Purdy, Ricky Pearsall, and George Kittle suit up were slim. We can add Mykel Williams to the list after an injury on Thursday, while Fred Warner and Deommodore Lenoir’s reps in August should be minimal.
We should still get a long look at players like Alfred Collins, Upton Stout, Dee Winters, and C.J. West defensively. On offense, we’ll see how close Jordan Watkins’s usage is to Deebo Samuel’s, while Corey Kiner should serve as the bell-cow.
