The 49ers’ plan for their preseason game vs. the Broncos on Saturday is still up in the air … at least publicly.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Wednesday was asked in his post-practice press conference about the club’s anticipated distribution of quarterback playing time in the second preseason game. He told reporters it’s likely to look the opposite of how it did in the preseason opener, but nothing is official yet.
“Not set in stone,” Shanahan said. “What I said last week, we wanted [QB] Trey [Lance] to get the majority of the first half so [QB] Sam [Darnold] could get the next week. So that’s what we’re planning on, but we’ll see how the next two practices go before we decide for sure.”
As for whether Brock Purdy will make his preseason debut, Shanahan said, “I haven’t decided yet with all the starters.”
We can’t necessarily go based on last preseason because the 49ers’ second preseason game came after joint practices so virtually all of the starters sat out. It stands to reason that the head coach would want his starters to at least get some preseason action, so a series or two for them would make sense before giving way to the reserves.
The 49ers and Broncos kick off at 5:30pm Pacific Time on Saturday at Levi’s Stadium.