The San Francisco 49ers have their dress rehearsal for the regular season as they visit the Indianapolis Colts. Here, we look at three things to watch for.
It is the San Francisco 49ers‘ first-stringers last chance to get into rhythm ahead of the regular season on Saturday as they take on the Indianapolis Colts in their third preseason game.
Jimmy Garoppolo is expected to play the full first half before he and the rest of the starters sit out the preseason finale ahead of their competitive opener with the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 9.
Here, we look at three things to watch for in the final tune-up for those likely to see the bulk of the action in Minnesota.
A late linebacker battle
The 49ers dropped the somewhat surprising news that Eli Harold had been traded to the Detroit Lions on Thursday. Harold, last season’s starter at SAM linebacker, has never lived up to his third-round billing as a pass rusher. However, his play in setting the edge against the run had led many to expect him to stick on the team for the final year of his contract.
With Dekoda Watson converting to LEO defensive end, Mark Nzeocha will start at SAM, seemingly setting the stage for something of a last-gasp position battle with 2017 sixth-round pick Pita Taumoepenu.
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Former Dallas Cowboy Nzeocha has never started a game in his NFL career, but starting with the ones would appear to give him the inside track in the competition. Taumoepenu has flashed often in the first two preseason games and was prolific rushing the passer in college. After adding bulk to his frame in the offseason, could he usurp Nzeocha and emerge as another late-round gem?
A subsequent move to bring another linebacker onto the roster could render such a question moot. Yet for now, the stage appears set for a fight for SAM snaps in Indy.
Richard Sherman’s debut
The 49ers have played it cautious with Richard Sherman, the former Seahawk’s preseason debut delayed by a hamstring issue. There is little need for Sherman to test himself in exhibitions in this stage of his vaunted career but Saturday could provide an indication of the impact he will have on a defense that could certainly benefit from having a proven lockdown corner on one side of the field.
San Francisco’s first-team offense impressed in Houston but both Dallas and the Texans had it a little easy against the defense. Will that change with the de facto leader of the secondary out on the field?
Sherman is not the only 49er who will play in this year’s preseason for the first time. Arik Armstead has been kept on the sideline for multiple weeks with a hamstring issue, but is poised to return this weekend.
In his absence, seventh-round rookie Jullian Taylor has impressed significantly in the big defensive end role. Taylor appears to have put himself in position to eat into the 2015 first-rounder’s regular-season snaps, and Armstead needs to perform straight off the bat on his return to reinforce the message that he is the Niners best option at big end.
Morris makes his pitch
Kyle Shanahan confirmed on KNBR on Friday that Alfred Morris will get the start at running back having been signed in the wake of injuries to Jerick McKinnon and Matt Breida. The former Washington tailback now has an opportunity to make his pitch to Shanahan and general manager John Lynch for the third-string running back role, though winning the job ahead of Jeremy McNichols may prove a bigger challenge than some thought.
McNichols started against Houston and, while he did not light up the stat sheet, he demonstrated the vision to take advantage of small running lanes and held up well in pass protection. His performance should have earned McNichols some credit but Morris does have the advantage of prior success in Shanahan’s system in Washington as well as the ability to provide some thump near the goal-line.
With Joe Williams set to miss the dress rehearsal through injury, the battle for third running back spot appears set to come down to McNichols, Morris and Raheem Mostert, who has the benefit of being one of the NFL’s better special teams players.
The 49ers ground game has struggled so far in preseason, but a place on the 53-man roster could be secured should one of this trio change that.