The 49ers will care little about their 2-0 preseason record after defeating the Minnesota Vikings last Saturday, but they will have been extremely satisfied by the several positive performances that helped secure another win. They’ll aim to make it a perfect 3-0 preseason Thursday vs. the Texans.
San Francisco predominantly played the backups in the 17-7 success in Minnesota, with Javon Kinlaw, Spencer Burford, Aaron Banks and Samuel Womack the only players likely to start Week 1 who saw playing time in Minnesota.
Despite the absence of the majority of their starters, there was plenty to glean from the Niners’ latest exhibition triumph that continues to factor into their decision-making with less than a week left until final roster cuts.
Having had a few days to look back at the tape, let’s look at what we learned from Week 2 of the preseason that will matter going into the preseason finale.
Running back depth chart still very much in flux
While Elijah Mitchell is clearly San Francisco’s starting running back and on track to return from a hamstring injury in time for Week 1, according to Kyle Shanahan, the makeup of the rest of the depth chart at the position remains unclear.
Jeff Wilson Jr. has not played in preseason while last year’s third-round pick Trey Sermon struggled against Minnesota, totaling just eight yards on five carries and dropping a pass for a would-be first down.
Though Sermon’s lack of production was in part down to some disappointing blocking, his display was in marked contrast to those of this year’s third-round pick Tyrion Davis-Price, rookie undrafted free agent Jordan Mason and JaMycal Hasty.
Davis-Price was the pick of the bunch, showcasing power, speed and elusiveness in putting up 41 yards on 10 carries, while Mason’s burst and contact balance came to the fore in the second half as he went for 57 yards on nine rushes.
Hasty demonstrated his value as a third-down back who can contribute in pass protection and as a receiver, catching San Francisco’s only touchdown.
With Mitchell and likely Wilson sure of roster spots, the rest of San Francisco’s backs are at most competing for two places. Davis-Price would appear to have the inside track to a place on the 53-man group given his draft status, but the identity of the fourth running back for a team that typically uses several throughout the season is up in the air going into Houston after several standout showings on the ground.
Defensive line X-factors shine
The Niners’ win in Minnesota was defined by the dominance of their ultra-deep defensive line. Charles Omenihu and Jordan Willis both consistently registered pressures to illustrate why they will be key parts of the rotation in 2022.
But the X-factors who could take arguably the premier defensive line in football to another level are Kinlaw and rookie second-round pick Drake Jackson, and they both produced highly impressive performances against the Vikings.
There is a significant onus on Kinlaw to finally justify his status as DeForest Buckner’s heir apparent following his selection with the 13th overall pick in the 2020 draft, which the Niners acquired in exchange for Buckner.
Kinlaw recently said he feels like a “totally different player” after recovering from surgery on the knee injury that ruined his 2021 season and provided compelling evidence to support that statement, sacking quarterback Kellen Mond after beating the right guard with a club move and showing impressive hand usage and quickness in a highly encouraging effort.
Jackson was one of the best players on the field on Saturday, delivering a pressure that led to George Odum’s interception and using his fluidity in changing direction and his power to consistently disrupt the Vikings’ quarterbacks. He also dominated tight ends in the run game and made an extremely athletic pass breakup to shut down an attempted screen pass.
If Kinlaw can join Arik Armstead in providing frequent pressure from the interior and Jackson quickly hits his stride as part of the edge rusher rotation, the avenues for slowing down the Niners’ defensive line will be extremely limited. After Week 2 of the preseason, San Francisco’s hopes of that scenario coming to pass should be significantly increased. Playing time shouldn’t be hard to come by for starters early in Houston, and continued dominance from that unit would bode well going into the regular season.
Backup nickel options standout
One of the key questions following the release of Darqueze Dennard surrounded the identity of the backup options at nickel corner with rookie Womack essentially having won the starting job.
Thankfully for the Niners, two players with a chance to backup Womack stood out in the second exhibition.
Deommodore Lenoir produced impressive coverage from the slot when covering downfield and over the middle, producing a pass breakup and building a case that he can offer value as a corner with inside-out versatility.
Qwuantrezz Knight has a tougher route to the 53-man roster but did his chances no harm with his performance. Knight was comfortable in both man and zone coverage and was excellent when moved into the box on run downs.
Lenoir is more likely to be Womack’s backup at nickel, but – assuming he does not make the cut – Knight could provide valuable depth from the practice squad if the 49ers are able to avoid an intriguing talent being snatched up by another team. How playing time is doled out for this group in Houston will tell us a lot about the pecking order at the nickel and how firm Womack’s grasp on the starting job is.
