NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Preseason football is hardly ever exciting, but it was a particularly dull night for San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan. He allowed one of his offensive assistants, Klay Kubiak, to call plays during the 17-13 loss to the Tennessee Titans.
“It was one of the more boring things for me personally,” Shanahan said after, chuckling. “That was my first game in 16 years not calling plays. I didn’t know what to do with my hands. I got to throw a red flag. I was excited about that.”
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That toss came on a successful challenge in the first half, after rookie safety Malik Mustapha had torpedoed from the secondary to stonewall Titans running back Hassan Haskins on a fourth down near the goal line. Officials incorrectly ruled that Haskins had reached the line to gain, so Shanahan had a chance to get in on the action. He didn’t want to let a good play go to waste.
“It was awesome, it was huge,” Shanahan said. “We knew (Mustapha) was a hitter, so were excited to see him hit someone else than our own guys in practice.”
The rook trucked 'em at Nissan Stadium 🛻
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— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) August 11, 2024
Other young defenders shined for the 49ers. That included second-year linebacker Dee Winters, who rocked Titans quarterback Will Levis near the goal line and later delivered a tackle for loss against the run. Third-year defensive tackle Kalia Davis then registered a sack and two tackles for loss.
Those promising performances marked the leading takeaway for the 49ers from their preseason opener. Here are four more:
The offensive line’s start without Trent Williams
If rookie Dominick Puni earns the starting nod at right guard (there seems to be a good chance that he will, based on how these first three weeks of training camp have gone), the 49ers started three of their first-string offensive linemen on Saturday. That was Puni, left guard Aaron Banks and right tackle Colton McKivitz.
Nick Zakelj replaced first-string center Jake Brendel, who’s managing his workload this preseason as he deals with knee tendinitis. And with Jaylon Moore not dressing, veteran Chris Hubbard started at the usual place of star left tackle Trent Williams.
Williams’ absence has been overshadowed by the ongoing contractual saga of receiver Brandon Aiyuk, but it’s obviously worth paying attention to. The 49ers remain confident they’ll reach a new contract agreement that ends Williams’ holdout.
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“I feel good about that,” Shanahan said. “I feel optimistic about it, but nothing’s changed there.”
Nothing has changed — except for the growing cost to Williams.He’d already been fined $650,000 for missing the first 13 days of training camp (that’s $50,000 per day in fines that the 49ers cannot forgive, per the Collective Bargaining Agreement). He incurred an additional $1.11 million fine for missing this first preseason game (the CBA dictates a mandatory fine of one game check for a missed preseason game).
Yes, the 49ers and Williams can make up for this lost money in the new contract they’re working on. But the team would still like Williams back in the building sooner rather than later. He’s one of the best players in football.
That said, the 49ers’ first-team line held up well in its brief appearance against the Titans, who were playing most of their starters to begin Saturday’s game. Banks broke down in protection on the game’s first snap, but the unit held sturdy on the rest of the opening touchdown drive — including a third-and-9 straight-drop situation that saw quarterback Brandon Allen connect to move the chains with receiver Ronnie Bell.
The front’s work was also solid in the run game, as running back Jordan Mason — who grew up about 30 minutes north of Nashville and had about 40 friends and family members in attendance — finished off a string of impressive runs with a rumble into the end zone.
A key blocker on the play was Puni, whom the 49ers tasked with pulling from right guard. And after executing his assignment, the rookie chased down Mason and helped push him across the goal line.
“Oh, I felt (Puni), 100 percent,” Mason said. “Because I was short until he came and pushed me.”
.@jpmason27 making moves in Music City.
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— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) August 10, 2024
Shanahan happy with QB play
Allen started for the 49ers and finished 7-of-13 for 98 yards, but receivers Tay Martin and Bell dropped two perfect deep throws from him. In all, outside of one inaccurate screen pass, Allen was sharp — particularly on the intermediate throws that are the bread-and-butter of this offense.
Joshua Dobbs handled the second half and delivered an acrobatic touchdown on the run, shaking off a would-be sack from Titans outside linebacker Thomas Rush before diving through contact from defensive back Eric Garror to cross the goal line. Dobbs was also accurate downfield, completing 14-of-20 passes for 146 yards.
The Passtronaut took flight 🚀
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— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) August 11, 2024
“We had some penalties, got us in some bad situations, but (Allen) overcame a few with some big throws on third down,” Shanahan said. “And I thought Josh came in and gave us a chance to win. He made some real big throws, just came up a little bit short, but I thought both of them made some plays.”
Starter Brock Purdy and fourth-stringer Tanner Mordecai should both see at least some action next week when the 49ers host the New Orleans Saints. Shanahan, by the way, said he’d be back calling plays for that game. The play caller on the other side will be former 49ers staffer Klint Kubiak, Klay’s brother and now the Saints’ offensive coordinator.
That's a strike ‼️
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— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) August 11, 2024
How the 49ers handled the new kickoff rule
The 49ers ranked No. 30 in kick coverage expected points added (EPA) and No. 17 in kick return EPA last season. They’ve generally struggled in both phases of the game over the past several seasons.
There’s natural curiosity then if the NFL’s drastically modified kickoff rules will allow the 49ers to finally improve those aspects of their game. With so many playmakers on the offensive side of the ball, it stands to reason the 49ers might benefit from a special teams setup that more closely resembles standard scrimmage play.
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Saturday’s opener didn’t offer a thorough chance to evaluate the 49ers because so many key players didn’t suit up, but it gave a first opportunity to see them on kickoff and kick return.
Bell and fellow receiver Trent Taylor were the deep men on the opening return. Bell served as the lead blocker for Taylor, who managed a modest gain. It certainly seemed as if the 49ers will want a bigger body than the 190-pound Bell in that lead-blocking role. That’s where fullback Kyle Juszczyk might come in, based on how they’ve lined at practice. And perhaps a star like Deebo Samuel Sr. will be the returner when games count.
The 49ers didn’t get off to an auspicious start in coverage. Titans returner Kearis Jackson took Jake Moody’s first kick back 63 yards. And he slipped a key tackle attempt from Moody himself after Tennessee successfully swallowed several other 49ers in blocks.
DY-NA-MIC!! @king_kearis fought hard on this return 💪
📱: Stream #SFvsTEN on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/1URmA3udxN
— NFL (@NFL) August 10, 2024
That was perhaps a hint that kickers will have prominent coverage opportunities under these new rules. Teams will have to plan accordingly — and a good chunk of that preparation will happen now that the first preseason game is over.
“It’s big-time curiosity,” Shanahan said about the new play. “I kind of just watched it out there and tried to figure out what the hell I’m looking at. Now, I’m just excited to collect a bunch of tape. Everyone’s done it now, so we can collect a bunch of clips and start studying it.”
The 49ers have a busy week ahead
The 49ers departed to the Bay Area after the game. Players will have Sunday off before resuming training camp practice on Monday and Tuesday. After a travel day on Wednesday, the team will hold joint practices with the Saints in Irvine, Calif., on Thursday and Friday.
The 49ers lost cornerback Ambry Thomas to a broken forearm on Saturday. He’ll be out indefinitely, and Shanahan hopes the team doesn’t receive any more bad injury news on Sunday.
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“Last week, we had 23 guys out of practice last time we practiced,” Shanahan said. “So hopefully we can get more of those guys back so we can have a decent scrimmage (against New Orleans).”
Those practices, combined with the game against the Saints at Levi’s Stadium, will offer the 49ers’ front line its first showcase against an outside opponent. This preseason opener against the Titans was about the youngsters, and Shanahan — who was planning to watch film on the flight home — was encouraged by early returns.
“I thought they showed up,” he said. “When you run and hit, that flashes on the sideline. You saw that with Dee, you saw that with Mustapha.”
(Photo of Brandon Allen: Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA Today)
David Lombardi is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the San Francisco 49ers. David joined The Athletic after three years with ESPN, where he primarily covered college football. Follow David on Twitter @LombardiHimself
