Saturday marks the start of preseason for the San Francisco 49ers, Kyle Shanahan's team set to take on the Tennessee Titans on the road as they ramp up preparations for the 2024 campaign.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan has already confirmed that not many of the starters will feature for San Francisco in Nashville, as the 49ers play their first game since their agonizing Super Bowl 58 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Ahead of that encounter, the 49ers released their unofficial depth chart. As unofficial depth charts are not produced by the coaching staff, they should be taken with a huge grain of salt.
Still, the release of the unofficial depth chart for the Niners has provided some talking points going into that exhibition opener.
Allen and Dobbs neck and neck
Joshua Dobbs and Brandon Allen were listed next to each other at the second-string quarterback position. When Dobbs was signed in free agency, it was expected he would likely be the primary backup to Brock Purdy.
However, it is Allen who is widely reported to have had the better camp to this point, his experience in the system helping him outshine Dobbs, who has had an erratic camp by all accounts.
It will be fascinating to see how the snaps are divided between the two when they take the field against Tennessee.
Curious skill-position placings
Away from the Brandon Aiyuk contract saga that could end in him being traded , there are some curious placings on the wide receiver depth chart.
First-round pick Ricky Pearsall is sharing a second-string wide receiver spot with veteran Chris Conley, while fellow rookie Jacob Cowing is listed as a fourth-stringer. Both Pearsall and Cowing have had issues with injuries since joining the 49ers, and a shoulder problem could keep the former out of the preseason opener. Cowing will hope to prove he is deserving of being much higher up the regular-season depth chart.
At tight end, it was expected when he was signed that Logan Thomas would likely be the immediate backup to George Kittle. However, Thomas has dealt with a hamstring injury and, having enjoyed an impressive camp, last year's seventh-round pick Brayden Willis is listed as a second-stringer along with Eric Saubert. It remains to be seen if Willis can turn a seemingly promising position in the tight end battle into a roster spot.
Is Puni's position accurate?
Rookie third-round pick Dominick Puni has received a lot of first-team reps at right guard in camp amid injuries to Spencer Burford and Jon Feliciano.
Feliciano is healthy once again but Burford remains on the sideline with a broken hand that fortunately did not require surgery .
It is Burford who was listed as the first-stringer, with Feliciano as the second-stringer and Puni as the third-stringer.
Feliciano displaced Burford as the starter during the second half of last season. However, with Puni drawing extremely impressive reviews for his preparation and how he has held his own in camp, that order might not be entirely accurate.
That is not to say that Puni has won the job but, if both he and Feliciano play on Saturday, it will be interesting to see who is on the field first.
DFF in the lead for SAM?
With Dre Greenlaw out of the equation for now as he continues his recovery from his Super Bowl Achilles injury, the 49ers' linebacker depth chart looks quite different than in previous years.
De'Vondre Campbell will start at Greenlaw's WILL spot next to All-Pro MIKE Fred Warner, but the competition to be the starter on base downs at SAM appears to be wide open.
Dee Winters has seen first-team reps during camp and has been widely praised for the strides he has made going into year two, but it is veteran Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles who is listed as the first-stringer at that spot for now.
It is perhaps no surprise given that Flannigan-Fowles played that role in the Super Bowl after Greenlaw's injury forced Oren Burks to move to WILL, but with Winters, Jalen Graham and Curtis Robinson all seemingly in the mix, it is far from a sure thing that he is in that position when the 49ers depth chart for the season is produced.
No real answers in nickel fight
Last season, the 49ers answer at the nickel position down the stretch and for most of the postseason was to have Deommodore Lenoir kick inside when they played with five defensive backs.
San Francisco played nickel on almost 80 percent of its snaps in 2023, making their plan of action for that personnel package extremely important.
The competition at corner that will ultimately decide what the Niners choose to do involves free agent signing Isaac Yiadom and second-round rookie Renardo Green.
The 49ers could go with either Yiadom or Green at outside corner on nickel downs or elect to keep Lenoir as a full-time outside starter and have Green be the nickel, San Francisco expressing a belief he could make the transition to that role despite rarely playing it in college at Florida State.
On the depth chart, though, there is no separation between Yiadom and Green, despite the former having a very strong camp, with both listed as the backup at outside corner behind Lenoir, who is also listed as the starter at nickel.
There's still a long way to go before that position battle is settled, and all options remain on the table for the Niners.
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