The preseason came to an end for the San Francisco 49ers with an 18-12 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday night, meaning there's officially less than two weeks before they kick off the regular season against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia. But first, let's do some quick housecleaning with some quotes of note to come out of the locker room after the latest win.
The 49ers primarily played their backup players against the Raiders, meaning there were a number of players who got extended reps as they try to win position battles or make their case for a roster spot. Among the spots of interest Thursday night were left guard, where the 49ers have yet to choose a starter, and running back and wide receiver, where two key second-year reserves got plenty of time as they head towards what they hope will be a better season than what they experienced as rookies.
We'll talk about those players in this edition of 49ers Notebook and explain why last year's second-round pick, defensive tackle Alfred Collins, played late into Thursday's game. Let's get into it...
Will the left guard spot go to a rookie?
The 49ers tried four players at their open left guard position during the preseason, including Connor Colby, Austen Pleasants, Robert Jones, and rookie Carver Willis. It's quite possible that the competition will last well into the season, but after playing a healthy amount of snaps on Thursday, the fourth-round pick Willis may well wind up being the starter against the Rams in Week 1.
"I think he is making a push," head coach Kyle Shanahan said after the game. "We still haven't decided yet. I really want to see how he did in the whole half of play he got today."
With Pleasants (knee) and Jones (calf) battling injuries, it would come as no surprise if Willis got the nod. Willis himself missed time during training camp due to a concussion, but he seems to have momentum in his favor.
"We'll have to make that decision most likely—I don't want to say by Monday," Shanahan said. "I don't know if we'll say it then with our opening game, but I think we'll have a good idea by then as coaches."
Jordan James finally gets off and running
Second-year running back Jordan James showed Thursday night why he can help ensure a deep running back room for the 49ers, if he can stay healthy.
Injuries have been the issue for James since the 49ers added him as a fifth-round pick in 2025. He played in just three regular-season games and two postseason games last year after being sidelined with a broken finger and a knee injury, with his first carries coming in the 49ers' blowout loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the Divisional round. James then missed time due to a rib injury in this year's training camp but saw a good workload on Thursday, running for 35 yards on eight carries with one catch for 20 yards.
"It was good to see him out there," head coach Kyle Shanahan said. "He missed a ton of camp, too, with his injury, and had the same thing last year where he missed all of training camp. So he only got to play in that one game for us, got a couple carries versus Seattle at the end of the year last year. So I was really excited to watch him tonight, and from what I saw out there live, I thought he ran real hard and ran real well."
James and rookie Kaelon Black appear set to be the backups to Christian McCaffrey, with James being perhaps a bit more of a known quantity as a receiver. James was used more as a pass catcher in college at Oregon than Black was at Indiana, and his ability to make plays as a receiver has stood out in practice.
"He's definitely a really good receiver," quarterback Mac Jones said Thursday. "He played well in college and it's translating. He's always out there practicing, trying to get better. So I feel like we've got multiple guys -- young guys, old guys -- that have all got different attributes. He's done a good job and has to continue to work."
Still, it's possible James may have to be patient when it comes to getting carries during the regular season. It appears McCaffrey and Black will be the 1-2 punch for the 49ers coming out of the gate, which means it could be difficult for James to see many carries early on.
"Yeah, most likely," Shanahan said. "There's got to be a big reason to do a three-man rotation. We don't just do that to do it. So most likely that'll be tough."
Jordan Watkins makes his case
Like James, things didn't go as expected as a rookie for wide receiver Jordan Watkins, who played in just four games last season after suffering a high ankle sprain early in the year. But the 2025 fourth-round pick has been getting plenty of time during the preseason and on Thursday finished things off with four catches for 64 yards.
Watkins entered training camp with some uncertainty in terms of where he'd fit in among the 49ers' receiving corps. But he now appears to be heading towards a spot on the depth chart behind Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel, Demarcus Robinson, and rookie De'Zhaun Stribling, while also being someone who can contribute as a return man.
Watkins told reporters Thursday he put his "best ball on tape" during the preseason and feels good about where he stands as the regular season approaches.
"Obviously there's some things to clean up and stuff like that, but I felt like I did a really good job going out there, staying healthy, playing a lot of plays, and showcasing what I've got," Watkins said.
Things started off a little shaky for Watkins on Thursday as he appeared to lose track of a deep ball that was thrown from Mac Jones, but he rebounded to have a performance that Shanahan liked.
"I thought he played well," Shanahan said. "I thought he missed one earlier on the first third down on the wide-and-go that looked like he never found, so that one was disappointing. But I thought he bounced back good after that ... From what I saw today, he had a good game."
Watkins said Thursday he's been able to shown his improvement as a run blocker this month, which is something he's put an emphasis on after being called out by Shanahan.
"That's something I've had to adapt to. Kyle challenged me last season to really be more physical," Watkins said. "That's something I've really worked on. That had to do with bulking up a little bit, putting on some muscle. I feel like I really did a good job in the run game, especially after that first preseason game. Going into the second one I felt like I had some really good blocking plays, and that carried over into this week as well."
Jones told reporters that Watkins in the past has been hesitant when it comes to running at full speed, but he appears to have put that behind him.
"Jordan's great," Jones said. "I always feel like I can be a little tougher on him, I guess because we built that relationship. He takes hard coaching really well or whatever you want to call it. In practice I'm like, 'Hey, you've got to get to this spot,' and he always does his job. I feel like he's done a good job improving each week. He shows his speed. While he's in the game, I'm like 'Just run fast.' Sometimes he's maybe a little slower just getting going. I'm like 'Just go. Just go,' and he finally did that today. I felt like he looked better."
Watkins is realistic about the number of opportunities he may get as the season begins given the amount of experience in front of him. But the receiving room has already seen its share of injuries, which means his chances could come sooner rather than later.
"It's very veteran. A lot of guys have been here for a very long time," Watkins said. "But I feel like you've just got to get in where you fit in. I feel like Kyle and (general manager John Lynch) drafted me here for a reason, and that's because they see I can make plays in this offense and I can fit in this offense. I've just got to figure out what that reason is and embrace it to the best of my ability, and that's just having to do with embracing my role."
Playing catch-up
Sometimes it can be an ominous sign for a veteran player to still be on the field late into the final preseason game. But not much should be read into why that was the case for defensive tackle Alfred Collins, based on what Shanahan said Thursday.
Collins, who showed flashes as a rookie after being selected as a 2025 second-round pick, was slowed throughout the year and earlier in the preseason due to shoulder surgery. Shanahan told reporters that Collins was given extra reps against the Raiders to catch up and that it should help him get into shape for the season opener.
"It was just good to get him back," Shanahan said. "He had a real late start, which is not his fault. He had some big surgeries to get over this offseason, so he's got a later start than anyone. And that's why I thought it was real important for him to play. He went I think two drives into the third quarter, which is more than what we would usually do for him, but he's a little bit behind, which, again, wasn't his fault. But I think today, and getting these three days off to recover, having those two and a half practices before we go to Australia, I think he'll be ready by Week 1."
Steady Eddy
If there was an MVP of Thursday's win over the Raiders, it was kicker Eddy Pineiro, who connected on all six of his field goal attempts, three of which came from beyond 50 yards. But Pineiro's night wasn't entirely perfect, as he botched the decision after the coin toss before sending the opening kickoff into the end zone. Shanahan didn't appreciate that, but he certainly liked what came later.
"Yeah, it was good. He redeemed himself," Shanahan said. "I've never been more mad at him than when he chose to defer to the second half. That's definitely my fault. I forgot to tell him that we receive in the preseason, but I thought that was understood. I asked him what the hell he was doing, and he said he wanted to kick off, and then he kicked a touchback. So I was kind of pissed at him at the beginning, but he redeemed himself."
Pineiro said his field goal performance on Thursday puts him exactly where he wants to be heading into the regular season.
"It felt great," Pineiro said. "The good thing is it doesn't count. So we've just got to do it again. But it feels good stepping into the season knowing I'm hitting a good ball. I feel confident."
Mentioned in this article: Kaelon Black, Connor Colby, Alfred Collins, Mike Evans, Jordan James, Mac Jones, Christian McCaffrey, Austen Pleasants, Demarcus Robinson, Deebo Samuel, De'Zhaun Stribling, Jordan Watkins, Carver Willis
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