49ers’ Shanahan mum on how injuries impact defensive line options
SANTA CLARA — Defensive ends Leonard Floyd and Yetur Gross-Matos are not expected to open their initial seasons with the 49ers on the Injured Reserve list, despite knee injuries in Friday night’s preseason finale in Las Vegas.
While Floyd is considered day-to-day, Gross-Matos is more week-to-week without mention of an IR stint, coach Kyle Shanahan said Sunday on a media conference call.
The 49ers lack experienced defensive ends behind stalwart Nick Bosa, and Shanahan refused to reveal which reinforcements might make Tuesday’s initial 53-man roster reveal.
“You’ll see when we decide on the 53. It sounds like a question the other 31 teams are getting you to ask me,” Shanahan said, half-jokingly. “Sorry, man, but it’s too hard to ask about specifics right now.”
Options on the roster include Robert Beal Jr., Alex Barrett, Jonathan Garvin and Sam Okuayinonu. Gross-Matos then Floyd got hurt in a three-snap span during Friday’s 24-24, preseason-closing tie with the Raiders.
HEALTH UPDATES
Up-and-coming linebacker Dee Winters sustained an ankle injury while playing 23 defensive snaps and 10 more on special teams Friday night. The 49ers were awaiting results from his MRI exam to determine who long he might be out of action.
Safety George Odum was scratched from Friday’s lineup after rolling his ankle in warmups and hobbling on the opening kickoff, Shanahan said. Hence, rookie Malik Mustapha started in place of Odum, who figures to be in the opening-game lineup if Talanoa Hufanga remains on the Physically Unable To Perform list the first month of the regular season.
Wide receiver Ricky Pearsall will return to practice Monday. He’s been out since Aug. 6, when he aggravated a shoulder that’s been partially dislocated three times now since his junior year in college, as Shanahan revealed.
ROSTER DECISIONS
The ongoing contract stalemates with Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams could impact how the 49ers construct their initial 53-man roster. Aiyuk traveled with the 49ers to Las Vegas as the 49ers wanted all players on their roster there. Williams remains on the Reserve/Did Not Report list, so he will not count toward that 53-man limit unless he arrives upon a contract resolution before Tuesday.
Shanahan said of where the 49ers are struggling with roster decisions: “It’s just connecting all the positions. You have the unknowns with BA and Trent right now, and we have a lot of good competition at a number of positions, whether we go light or heavy at certain players. I definitely don’t want to get into specifics, because that is what all 32 teams are doing right now — watching everyone’s rosters, listening to everything and figuring out which guy they can get.”
QUARTERBACK ROTATION
Shanahan said the 49ers have not decided nor informed Brock Purdy’s backups which ones will make the initial roster, “so we’re still working through that.”
Josh Dobbs got more action and produced more than Brandon Allen, last season’s No. 3 option behind Purdy and Sam Darnold. Dobbs, in 81 snaps, was 34-of-51 (66.7%) for 351 yards with one touchdown, one interception, one sack and two rushing touchdowns. Allen, in 55 snaps, was 19-of-30 (63.3%) for 194 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions and three sacks. Undrafted rookie Tanner Mordecai played 29 snaps over the past two games (6-of-10, 103 yards).
Purdy took 35 preseason snaps, spanning three-series cameos in last Sunday’s win over New Orleans and Friday’s tie at Las Vegas. He attempted just 18 passes, with 11 completions for 107 yards with no touchdowns, one interception and two sacks.
RAVE REVIEWS FOR GUERENDO
Rookie Isaac Guerendo obviously opened eyes with a 93-yard kick return in his debut, but he also impressed in his 28 offensive snaps. He had 11 carries for 32 yards, and he caught both passes targeted to him for three yards. Shanahan pointed out how Guerendo has yet to practice in pads; he strained his hamstring in the first practice of camp, and neither practice last week required pads.
“To go that long without pads on, I really liked how he ran, he tried to break tackles, never eased up on contact, tried to run through it, hit the holes hell and had a real good first game,” Shanahan said.
LOGAN THOMAS 2.0
Cut early in camp after a hamstring injury, tight end Logan Thomas re-signed last week after declining overtures from other other teams, Shanahan said. Roster demands at other positions prompted the 49ers to initially release Thomas, and they told him at the time they hoped for a potential reunion. Thomas did not play in Friday’s game but is apparently in the mix as a George Kittle backup, along with Eric Saubert, Brayden Willis, Jake Tonges, Cam Latu and Mason Pline.
PUNI EMBEDDED AT GUARD
Dominick Puni, a third-round draft pick, has nailed down the starting spot at right guard, a spot he never played in college. Even though he played left tackle last year at Kansas, the 49ers didn’t give him any reps there in camp, largely because injuries to Spencer Burford (hand) and Jon Feliciano (knee) thrust Puni into the first-string role on Day 3. “We probably would have (tried Puni at tackle) if he didn’t have a starting guard competition within the first couple of days,” Shanahan said. “We didn’t draft him to put him there (at left tackle) but knew he had the skillset to put him out there if we had to do so.”
Fellow rookies Jarrett Kingston and Drake Nugent were praised by Shanahan for playing their best preseason game Friday ngiht.