49ers vs. Chargers Projected Lineup: Who Starts in Preseason Week 2?
Brock Purdy takes the field as Kyle Shanahan unleashes his starters to sharpen offensive rhythm following a sluggish joint practice against the Chargers' formidable defensive unit.
Video Transcript
After sitting nearly the entire frontline roster during last week's exhibition opener against Tennessee, Head Coach Kyle Shanahan is shifting gears for Thursday night's matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers.
With the San Francisco forty-niners coming off a challenging joint practice session where the offense struggled to find its rhythm, Shanahan confirmed that a chunk of first string players will dress and play.
Most notably, franchise quarterback Brock Purdy is slated to make his twenty twenty-six preseason debut.
Thursday's contest offers a vital opportunity for San Francisco's top unit to work out execution kinks before the regular season kicks off.
Here's a projection of how the starting lineup could look.
Quarterback, Brock Purdy.
Running backs, Patrick Taylor Junior or Kalen Ballage.
Wide receivers will be Deebo Samuel and Demarcus Robbins.
Tight ends will be Jake Tonges or Luke Farrell.
Left tackle, Trent Williams, even if it's only for a few snaps or a drive.
Left guard, Aaron Banks and Robert Jones.
Center, Jake Brendel.
The right guard spot, somewhere between Dominic Puni and Connor Colby.
And the right tackle, Connor McKivitt-- Colton McKivitz, excuse me.
The offensive outlook is that while Christian McCaffrey remains sidelined with minor lower body tightness, Purdy should get anywhere from one to two series to direct the huddle and test his timing in game conditions.
On the defensive side of the ball, the likely starting lineup will look something like, Keon White and Sam Okonwu at defensive end.
Oso Digiziwa, tackle.
Oh-- And the other tackle being either Grayson Halton or CJ West.
Linebacker, Fred Warner.
Other linebacker, Tatum Bethune or Jaden Dugger.
Cornerback, Deommodore Lenoir.
Cornerback, Renardo Green or Darrell Luther Junior.
Slot corners, Nate Hobbs.
Free safety, Ji'Ayir Brown, and the strong safety will most likely be Malik Mustafa.
Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris will be watching his unit closely as-- after a tough outing against Justin Herbert in joint practices.
All-pro linebacker Fred Warner will lead the defense for an early series.
But with Nick Bosa ramping back up from knee tendonitis, secondary rushers like Keon White and rookie Grayson Halton will take center stage along the front four.
Shanahan indicates that while starters will play, their workload will be strictly capped, which will likely range from a single opening drive to a maximum a quarter.
