Kyle Shanahan: There is a ‘real good chance’ 49ers rookie LB Fred Warner starts against the Vikings
Aug 30, 2018 at 11:39 PM
•
You don't typically see too many starters play in preseason finales. That wasn't the case for San Francisco 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster on Thursday night. He played in three series against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Foster was in the game because he won't have an opportunity to get on the football field again until the 49ers visit the Kansas City Chiefs on September 23. He will be serving a two-game suspension for violations of the league's policies on substances of abuse and personal conduct.
Seeing Foster suited up on Thursday night was a bit of a shock. The linebacker was just five days removed from a concussion he sustained against the Indianapolis Colts. He was out of the concussion protocol on Wednesday.
"Once he got out of the protocol and felt good, that's what we planned on doing (playing him in the game) all along as long as he was healthy," head coach Kyle Shanahan said following Thursday's 23-21 loss.
Who will fill in for Foster during his time off? All signs are pointing toward rookie linebacker
Fred Warner, who did not play against the Chargers. It was a strong indication that he will be the Week 1 starter.
"I think there's a real good chance (Warner will start), but we wanted to see the other guys tonight," Shanahan said. "Brock (Coyle) is still in the mix, and we'll see how Malcolm (Smith) ends up playing out because Malcolm has been battling through some stuff, but he stayed healthy last week. It's going to be one of those guys."
Warner had an impressive offseason and had shown flashes during the preseason before sitting out Thursday's game. He was in street clothes on the sideline while watching Foster, Coyle, and the others face Los Angeles.
"They told me that I would sit this game," Warner told reporters in the locker room after the loss. "I guess that means that they saw enough and maybe they need to see some other guys out there. Just making sure I'm healthy going into the year is the biggest thing I'm worried about."
The next time Warner suits up, he will likely be going up against quarterback Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings offense in the regular season opener. The team has already started to do its homework on Minnesota.
"Kirk Cousins is an outstanding quarterback," Warner said. "This is his first year in that system or on that team. Watching film from the preseason, he has a lot of ability, and they're going to have a good running game now that they have (running back) Dalvin Cook back. I'm sure we'll be prepared when the time comes for that."
The 49ers and Vikings open the season on Sunday, September 9 at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Facebook Comments
More San Francisco 49ers News
Hard-working 49ers rookie Ji'Ayir Brown continues to impress Fred Warner
No longer limited to a special teams role, Ji'Ayir Brown's workload has increased since stepping into the starting lineup for injured safety Talanoa Hufanga on November 19. Making the most of his playing time against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Brown secured an interception and broke up three passes.
Later, it was revealed that Hufanga would miss the remainder of the season after suffering a torn ACL. Brown would remain in the lineup.
Since then, the rookie safety has played 100 percent of the defensive snaps, totaling 56 and 72 snaps in the last two games. Pro Football Focus ranks Brown as the second-highest graded rookie safety and the fourth-highest graded rookie defensive back.
Despite being a rookie, Brown carries himself like a seasoned veteran,
Ambry Thomas showing 49ers there's "not that many out there better than me"
The San Francisco 49ers' defense delivered an impressive performance in Sunday's 42-19 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. Despite reportedly exploring options for another starting-caliber cornerback before the October trade deadline, the team ultimately stuck with Charvarius Ward and Ambry Thomas on the outside.
Thomas playing outside has allowed Deommodore Lenoir to move to the slot corner spot. Defensive coordinator Steve Wilks seems to have found a recipe for success.
Thomas has been impressive in recent weeks, earning his highest-ever overall Pro Football Focus grade (90.2) on Thanksgiving night against the Seattle Seahawks. We'll have to wait until Monday morning to learn how his performance against the Eagles compares, but it's evident that Thomas is
Trent Williams: 49ers are pretty good when we have a QB
Trent Williams asserts that his San Francisco 49ers are the best team in the NFL, and after Sunday's beatdown of the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles, it's hard to argue with the big man.
Most felt the two teams were closely matched heading into the Week 13 showdown, a rematch of last season's NFC Championship Game. What did we learn from the contest? While the Eagles are good, San Francisco may have declared to the league that they are a different class of team.
Last season, the Eagles came out on top, advancing to the Super Bowl, but the injury to quarterback Brock Purdy left lingering questions. This time around, fans got a glimpse of what might have been after a confident Niners squad outperformed the Eagles in every way.
Josina
Kyle Shanahan provides injury updates on Arik Armstead, Spencer Burford, Elijah Mitchell ahead of 49ers-Seahawks
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan provided injury updates during his weekly interview on Bay Area radio station KNBR, shedding light on the statuses of some ailing players ahead of the team's Week 14 showdown against the Seattle Seahawks.
Arik Armstead has yet to hit the practice field this week as he deals with foot and knee issues. On Wednesday, Shanahan said he would be surprised to see his veteran defensive tackle on the field this weekend. A day later, nothing has changed.
"Armstead's still looking like a long shot," Shanahan said on the "Tolbert and Copes" show. "Haven't ruled him out yet, officially, but I'll talk to the doctors. But I