LAS VEGAS – The Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium has been, as they say in the nearby casinos, a cooler to the 49ers’ luck.
Not much has gone right since an overtime win in the 49ers’ Vegas debut on New Year’s Day 2023.
Most infamously, the 2023 season ended with the 49ers losing the Super Bowl here in overtime fashion. That team opened the preseason, by the way, with a 34-7 loss to the host Raiders, with Trey Lance sacked four times as the 49ers’ starting quarterback.
The 49ers’ last visit came in last year’s preseason, when knee injuries took out their two prized free agents, Leonard Floyd and Yetur Gross-Matos.
Floyd was part of this offseason’s personnel purge, Gross-Matos is on the Physically Unable to Perform list with that lingering knee issue, and now the 49ers must press their luck yet again at the Raiders’ home for a Saturday preseason affair.
Coach Kyle Shanahan said after Thursday’s joint practice — at the Raiders’ training facility 20 minutes away in Henderson –– he hoped to play some starters in this lone preseason road game. Then again, available starters are increasingly hard to come by, at least defensively.
Rookie defensive tackle C.J. West, who started last Saturday’s preseason-opening loss to Denver, sustained a hyperextended knee Thursday, further hindering a defensive unit that is down to three healthy starters – cornerback Deommodore Lenoir and linebackers Fred Warner and Dee Winters, presuming the latter is indeed the weak-side winner.
So who to watch after Brock Purdy and a few remaining household names make cameos, if they even do that? Here are five who could use this game to boost their stock:
1. GUARD CONNOR COLBY
No, you’re not coming to the spectacle of Las Vegas to focus on an interior offensive lineman, right? Well, here’s the deal: Ben Bartch injured his elbow the other day, and the 49ers have given Connor Colby increasing reps to challenge Nick Zakelj at left guard, the spot formerly occupied by Aaron Banks (now on the Packers).
After seventh-round pick Colby got some first-team reps Thursday, Shanahan noted he’s not a secret anymore, adding: “You never have a guy come out of college who is going to have to run as much as we ask him to as o-line. So, that always takes a number of days, sometimes a number of years. But I think he’s improved a lot here in these last couple weeks.”
Colby is a 6-foot-5, 309-pound Iowa product, to which George Kittle said: “It’s the first time I’ve had an Iowa Hawkeye lineman on my team. At least I’m really excited about that.”
2. LINEBACKER NICK MARTIN
Martin flashed throughout last Saturday’s preseason debut, but not in a great way, from missed tackles to missing crossing-route coverage. Look, it was his first day on the job. This will be his second, so to speak, and the 49ers would love to see how he adjusts among the team’s deepest position group.
“Nick has been a sponge ever since he’s gotten here, and he has such a want to continue to get better,” said Fred Warner, who advises rookies to focus on one thing each practice to get better at rather than too many tasks.
“I love having a lot of young guys on the team now because they do bring the energy,” Warner added. “I love the tenacity, he’s not afraid to thump somebody, and I think he’s only going to continue to get better.”
3. RUNNING BACK COREY KINER
Another undrafted running back is thriving in the Shanahan system. When Kiner’s 5-foot-9 frame barreled through the Raiders’ defense Thursday, he got hit hard by a cornerback, but then effortlessly did a somersault to show off his athleticism.
Shanahan liked Kiner’s 10-carry, 45-yard debut last Saturday against the Broncos, saying, “He ran hard. We’ll keep pushing him to get better as a runner, but I just loved the mentality he ran with.”
Kiner could get another extensive look, seeing how Christian McCaffrey hasn’t had a preseason carry since 2019, and the 49ers won’t have Isaac Guerendo (shoulder) nor Jordan James (finger). Jeff Wilson Jr. could get a 49ers carry for the first time since 2022, and other options in the backfield are Patrick Taylor Jr. and Ke’Shawn Vaughn.
4. TACKLE SPENCER BURFORD
Spencer Burford, infamous for missing a block in that Super Bowl overtime, has invested a lot of sweat equity into switching from guard to Trent Williams’ understudy at left tackle. It’s not an easy transition, as evident by Tyree Wilson’s pass rushes Thursday, but the 49ers need Burford to maximize this preseason to prepare for that role.
“It’s hard because you put in another tackle, it’s like, `Oh, it’s not Trent Williams,’” Kittle said. “I still think Spence is doing a good job and these reps are invaluable for him to get better, so if anything does happen, he’ll be ready to go.”
With Jaylon Moore leaving in free agency for the Chiefs’ generous payday, Andre Dillard figured to rescue the swing-tackle dilemma upon debuting in practice Monday, only to go on Injured Reserve three days later. Free agent help? As Shanahan said, “We’re always looking outside, but if there were a lot of guys outside, they wouldn’t be outside.”
5. NEW-NAME DEFENSE
I hereby christen the “New Name Defense.” The 49ers essentially are conducting in-game auditions for defensive linemen who might stick around for the Sept. 7 opener as injury replacements.
They’ve signed eight defensive linemen in just the past 18 days: Jaylon Allen (No. 76), Bradlee Anae (injured reserve), Bruce Hector (No. 60), Michael Dwumfour (waived), Trevis Gipson (No. 56), Demone Harris (No. 67), William Bradley-King (No. 69), and, upon Friday’s signing, Shakel Brown, who spent time last year on the 49ers’ practice squad.
Brown is initially listed as No. 60, but that is also assigned to Hector, so stay tuned for updates; tight end Ross Dwelley was released in a corresponding roster move.
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Thursday’s practice resulted in C.J. West (knee) joining a steady stream of injured defensive linemen: Nick Bosa (neck soreness), Mykel Williams (knee), Jordan Elliott (back), Kevin Givens (pectoral), Robert Beal Jr. (groin), and, Tarron Jackson (neck; injured reserve).