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Talk about a matchup nightmare. On the Kansas City Chiefs' opening drive, running back Damien Williams beat San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Solomon Thomas in coverage for a 62-yard touchdown.
No, you did not read that wrong. No, it was not a typo.
Safety Jaquiski Tartt tried to make a play on Williams as he sped past Thomas and ended up knocking over the defensive lineman. Seeing Thomas in that situation probably confused a lot of fans.
49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh was asked on Monday about the play and what happened.
"You guys don't like Solomon on a running back?" Saleh jokingly asked reporters while laughing.
It seemingly wasn't the best use of Thomas' skillset.
"No, it's preseason," Saleh continued. "We're trying some stuff out. That could happen. With our system, when you're trying to bring five, when you're trying to bring six, when you're trying to bring overloads, somebody has to account for the back and usually it's going to be a defensive end. Otherwise, you're just rushing four all the time, or it's just a simple five-man pressure that's not very hard for offenses to pick up. So, you've got to be able to get creative and the more creative you get, the more you expose your linemen to coverage.
"On that particular play, that is not what we want. I'm glad it happened because it created a secondary check that we can get to and all that stuff. But it happened, I'm glad it happened. I'm not glad it happened, but you'd still like for us to get it down and get to the next play, but it was a great learning experience for everybody."
Saleh noted that pass rusher Dee Ford would have been the player in that situation during a regular-season game. Ford has not made his 49ers debut due to some knee tendinitis but is expected to be ready for Week 1. Saleh believes Ford is a solid player in coverage who has excellent awareness and speed.
Saleh went on to clarify that Thomas was supposed to cover Williams on that specific play.
Added Saleh, "He's, we call him a peel rusher, so that is his coverage. The overall design of the play, not what we want which is what I was referring to with Solomon being, basically him peeling with the quarterback being able to step into his throw is not something we want. So, no, we don't want that happening."
Austin Jones, the running back who spent three seasons with Stanford and the past two with USC, was among the 44 players in attendance at the San Francisco 49ers local pro day on April 10. Justin Melo of The Draft Network reports that the Bay Area team is keeping tabs on the Pac-12 standout.
After attending #Raiders, #49ers and
The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man
The San Francisco 49ers are hosting several draft prospects this week as the deadline for pre-draft visits draws near. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the team will host former Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley on Wednesday.
Corley is expected to be a Day 2 pick. San Francisco owns two selections on Day 2—the No. 63 overall pick in the second round and the No. 94 overall pick in the third round. Currently, the receiver is visiting with the Seattle Seahawks.
Western Kentucky @WKUFootball receiver Malachi Worley
Ian Rapoport didn't offer much of an update on the ongoing contract negotiations between the San Francisco 49ers and their standout wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk. However, the NFL insider emphasized one thing: The team is not entertaining trade discussions at this juncture.
Reacting to Aiyuk's decision to unfollow the 49ers on Instagram, Rapoport couldn't help but chuckle at the latest development. This practice has become commonplace among players who are unhappy with their contract situations. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel similarly took this action in 2022 before requesting to be traded just before the draft.
Things have yet to escalate that far with Aiyuk, but Rapoport sees his
