As the San Francisco 49ers prepare for their preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans on Saturday, head coach Kyle Shanahan has made one thing clear: Most starters are unlikely to play.
"Yeah, I talked about it with our staff yesterday when the players were off, but I haven't told any of the players yet," Shanahan told reporters after Tuesday's practice. "So I'm not going to say it exactly here, but we don't plan on many of the starters to play. I know some guys will have to, but for the most part, starters shouldn't be in much, if at all."
Some starters might have to play due to the numbers game. It's easier to sit 22 players in the preseason with a 90-man roster as opposed to the challenge of doing so during the regular season after rosters are cut to 53 players. This was a scenario the 49ers faced in Week 18 last season when they played the Los Angeles Rams after securing the top seed in the NFC. Some starters had to play, at least briefly.
Quarterback Brock Purdy was asked on Sunday if he expects to see the field against the Titans.
"We haven't talked about that, so just taking it one day at a time," Purdy responded. "I think it all just depends on how practices go and my reps and how I'm feeling and stuff. But I'm sure we'll make a decision here as the game comes closer."
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One starter who definitely won't be on the field this weekend is Christian McCaffrey. The star running back is dealing with a calf strain and is expected to miss at least a couple of weeks.
"It's alright. He didn't pull it or anything, but you guys probably won't see him this preseason," Shanahan commented.
Further complicating matters is that rookie running back Isaac Guerendo is still recovering from a hamstring injury, and veteran Elijah Mitchell is also dealing with a hamstring issue. This prompted the 49ers to bring back Matt Breida, who signed with the team this week.
"[Mitchell] didn't pull it, but we're going to be safe with him," Shanahan said. "He's going to miss probably a week or so. So we had to bring Matt in, which was awesome to have Matt available. We needed some numbers out there and to be able to get a legit player who's had a hell of a career, who's been here before too, felt pretty fortunate."
Fans can expect to see a healthy dose of Breida and Jordan Mason, along with undrafted rookie Cody Schrader, in the backfield against the Titans.
The 49ers might also need to bring in a punter, as Mitch Wishnowsky has been dealing with knee irritation, which has kept him out of practices.
