San Francisco 49ers rookie Reuben Foster seemingly has the inside track to becoming the team's starting weak-side linebacker. Head coach Kyle Shanahan stated on Tuesday that Foster is currently the team's starter. He is likely to start during Saturday's exhibition game against the Denver Broncos at Levi's Stadium. Should that happen, it would be the rookie's second-straight start. However, Shanahan didn't want to go as far as to set Foster's spot on the depth chart in stone.
"He started the last game," Shanahan said. "He's been starting out in these practices. He's been getting most of the reps, which I believe he needs. But, by no means, no one is just, he could get beat out at any time. If our guys behind him – we've got some good players behind him too – if they started performing at a higher level than him, then that wouldn't be the case."
Foster has been competing with Ray-Ray Armstrong for the starting job next to NaVorro Bowman and is a favorite to win it. The competition became a two-man race when free agent acquisition Malcolm Smith was lost for the season with a torn pectoral muscle.
Foster played well in Friday's exhibition win over the Kansas City Chiefs and was among the five highest graded players in the game and the third-highest graded defensive players (behind fellow rookie Solomon Thomas and veteran edge rusher Aaron Lynch) with his 83.8 grade, according to Pro Football Focus.
Foster was in on 27 snaps against Kansas City and the 49ers defense as a whole held the Chiefs to just 187 total yards of offense. The rookie lined up at weak-side linebacker with the starting unit and middle linebacker with the second-team.
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