The San Francisco 49ers travel to Las Vegas to conduct a joint practice before they meet on Saturday afternoon at Allegiant Stadium. Getting through the practice and game with no new injuries has to be priority one through ten for Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers. The starting positions are fairly clear; left guard Ben Bartch suffered an injury on Tuesday, but every other starting spot is essentially filled. There are still players with a chance to improve their chances to stick on the 53-man roster or contribute significant snaps in Week 1.
Here are five players who have a chance to seize an opportunity this weekend.
WR Jacob Cowing
Shanahan praised Cowing’s offseason work, but a hamstring injury slowed down the former Arizona receiver’s progress. After returning to practice on Tuesday, Cowing has a chance to fill a void left by the injuries to Brandon Aiyuk, Jordan Watkins, and Jauan Jennings. Not to mention, a potential suspension for Demarcus Robinson.
Assuming Jennings and the 49ers work out a deal, which Tim Kawakami of the SF Standard reported is “not close,” Jennings and Ricky Pearsall would start in two-receiver sets. If the contract situation bleeds into the regular season and Watkins doesn’t return from his high ankle sprain, the two 2024 draft picks, in Pearsall and Cowing, would try to lead the receiver room.
S Marques Sigle
The fifth-round pick from Kansas State has a huge opportunity in front of him. The timeline for Malik Mustapha’s return is sometime during the season, and Ji’Ayir Brown has just returned from his ankle flare-up. Still, Sigle has run with the ones in practice, and Robert Saleh believes in the rookie’s mindset to handle the responsibility.
Jason Pinnock is surely going to start in Week 1, but Sigle has a chance to push to start next to him. The best-case scenario is that the 49ers are faced with a difficult situation when Mustapha returns in 2025.
LG Connor Colby
Bartch’s injury opened the door for the seventh-round lineman. Colby was first up to replace Bartch, which is a change from Nick Zakelj as the first replacement. Given his performance in the joint practice and preseason game against Denver, the coaching staff has pushed Colby up the depth chart.
Given Bartch’s injury history, Colby stepping up and adding stability to the position would be a huge boost for the offensive line.
WR Russell Gage
The veteran wide receiver has a big chance to stick on the 53-man roster. Even before Watkins’ injury, Gage had received rave reviews in training camp. Shanahan tends to lean towards veterans, and having Gage stick on the roster wouldn’t be shocking.
The numbers game in the receiver room could come down to Gage and Junior Bergen. Can the 49ers afford to keep a primary returner over a receiver who will need to run routes and contribute? The team may try to sneak Bergen on the practice squad, while the 49ers get healthier in the receiver room.
DT Kalia Davis
Given the infusion of youth and the injuries along the defensive line, Davis has been a pleasant surprise, and with another good performance, could find himself playing substantial snaps in Week 1. Yetur Gross-Matos hasn’t returned, but you can bet the team will rely on him in 2025. His flexibility is playing defensive tackle and end, but C.J. West is close to notching a starting spot, if he hasn’t already.
Davis can carve out a role as a rotational defensive lineman, which will be huge in the interest of keeping other linemen fresh. After sticking around on the roster for two years and playing 13 games last season, a leap from Davis would be very timely.
About the Author: Insidethe49
