San Francisco 49ers: Who to Watch for Against Dallas in Preseason Week 2

The San Francisco 49ers barely got to see their offensive starters in the first week of preseason. The only three projected starters who saw even 10 snaps were the interior linemen trio of Alex Boone, Joe Looney and Marcus Martin, per Pro Football Focus.

The defense also wasn’t precisely at full strength, as NaVorro Bowman didn’t play and Ian Williams and Ahmad Brooks had just cameo appearances.

As such, while there were positives and negatives to take away from the loss to the Houston Texans, they mostly came in the form of evaluating the depth players, rather than what the 49ers will actually look like when they take the field in a game that counts. That’s fairly normal for the first preseason game.

However, when the 49ers face the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, we should get a longer look at the starters. Historical precedent and general trends usually have the starters sticking around for the entire first half, though veterans tend to get the hook a little earlier than rookies. We might actually get a chance to see Colin Kaepernick and the offense perform more than three pass attempts. What a concept!

That doesn’t mean the backups won’t shine—players like Jarryd Hayne and Mike Purcell, who had excellent days last week, will be looking to build on that success as they fight for roster spots. They’ll get their chances to shine in the second half as they try to remain on the active roster.

The cutdown from 90 to 75 players happens after the third preseason game, in which the starters should get most of the work. This will be some players’ last chance to have an extended audition in game conditions.

Here’s a position-by-position guide to who to watch for this Sunday. Who will get the most playing time, and which key reserves will get every chance to make a splash?

Quarterbacks

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

Colin Kaepernick and the first-string offense should get a few more series together, which should be good to see. His appearance in the Texans game can be described as “minimal,” at best—he threw three passes, completing one to Anquan Boldin and coming oh-so-close to completing a long bomb to Torrey Smith. 

That’s not really enough to evaluate his new throwing motion or judge how his offseason work with Kurt Warner has paid off. The fact that they attempted a deep pass—and that Smith had a step on everyone—is intriguing and promising, but we simply need to see more before we can make any real observations. We should get that chance this week as the starting offense stays out for more than a drive.

Other than that, the player to watch is Blaine Gabbert. You could make an argument that the Texans game was the best Gabbert has ever looked in a 49ers uniform—he was 8-of-11 for 86 yards and a touchdown, which has to go down as a decently solid day.

It was all short stuff, with only one incompletion traveling more than 10 yards through the air, but it was short stuff that was consistently being completed. Gabbert was the best quarterback the 49ers had against Houston, leading the team on both of its scoring drives. His 125.6 quarterback rating was the second-highest mark Gabbert has ever reached in the NFL, topped only by one preseason game back in 2013.

I called the 49ers quarterbacks the team's weakest unit in large part because of Gabbert’s poor history. If Gabbert really has improved sitting on the bench for a year, that’s a huge confidence boost should Kaepernick miss a week or two. We’ll have to see Gabbert put together two solid performances in a row before saying he’s turned a corner, but he made a good start last week.

Running Backs

Patric Schneider/Associated Press

All aboard the Hayne Train! Jarryd Hayne got most of the media’s attention last week, rushing for 63 yards on five carries and with 57 additional yards in the return game. It was definitely an impressive showing from the Australian.

It’s the return game, rather than the rushing game, that’s probably the most important for Hayne right now. With Carlos Hyde, Reggie Bush and Kendall Hunter on the roster, Hayne’s best chance of making an impact this season is in the return game. He also needs to run a little more compactly and directly, going up the field rather than some of the larger, swooping cuts he pulled off against Houston. Still, it was an impressive debut for the former Rugby League star, and you have to be excited to see more of him this week.

Hyde, Bush and Hunter are likely to see little work still, be it due to rest, veteran’s privilege or recovery from injuries, so rookie Mike Davis should get more of a chance in this game as well. Last week, he had just three rushes for 18 yards and a dropped pass, so he’ll be looking for more chances to contribute this week.

Wide Receivers

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

It’s hard to know precisely whom we’ll see at wide receiver. Bruce Ellington is still not practicing with a leg injury, and Jerome Simpson is facing a six-game suspension.

While we’ll see a bit of Torrey Smith and Anquan Boldin, this really opens up an opportunity for Quinton Patton. Patton wasn’t targeted a single time last week, as Gabbert and Dylan Thompson spent most of their time looking for tight ends, but he now has to be the favorite to be the third receiver in Week 1, thanks to his experience.

Don’t count out DeAndrew White, either—the undrafted free agent has been a star all throughout training camp. We’re using “star” in a relative term here, of course—he probably tops out at as a fourth receiver this year—but he could definitely contribute if Ellington and Simpson aren’t available. White only had one reception for three yards last week, so he’ll be looking for more chances this week.

Simpson is still going to get work despite his upcoming suspension, and it’s crucial for him. Simpson’s contract is entirely unguaranteed, and if the 49ers are rolling in the receiving game by the time his suspension is up, they are not obligated to bring him back. He had two catches last week for 31 yards, and he could use another moderate day to place his stamp on the third receiver position while he’s away.

The other name to watch is DiAndre Campbell, who has had a solid offseason of his own. In the last practice before the Cowboys game, he had six receptions, including beating possible starting cornerback Keith Reaser, according to the Press Democrat's Grant Cohn. He didn’t receive a target against Houston, but that could change this week.

Tight Ends

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

The 49ers just traded Derek Carrier to Washington, according to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. That’s the second tight end traded in a week, after Asante Cleveland was sent to New England. That begins to sort out a crowded depth chart at the position.

That clears up an easier path for Vance McDonald and Blake Bell to make the roster. Both played a significant portion of the Houston game, though neither made a huge impact in the passing game. With Vernon Davis penciled in as the starter, there’s definitely going to be a decent scrum for that second tight end position.

McDonald has not quite lived up to his second-round status from the 2013 draft, but he might be the best run-blocker on the team at the position. PFF gave him the highest run-blocking grade for all tight ends in 2014, albeit in limited snaps. He just needs to bring his actual pass-catching abilities up to that level in order to be a regular contributor. He caught his one target last week, which is better than nothing, but it would be nice to see what he could do with the first-team offense.

Bell, the fourth-round pick, is going to make the roster thanks to his draft status. How often he actually takes the field depends on how his development goes against McDonald and Garrett Celek. Bell also caught his two pass targets against Houston, which is a solid start, but his run blocking left something to be desired. We’ll see who does better with more work against Dallas.

Offensive Line

Uncredited/Associated Press

Ian Silberman

While the battle for starting right guard and center position continues, with Brandon Thomas, Marcus Martin and Joe Looney battling for two spots, we’ll probably see more work in the second half from people trying to hold on to the bottom of the depth chart. After all, Thomas, Martin and Looney will all be on the opening day roster; that’s not the case for people who will be getting reps in the second half.

Rookie Ian Silberman is trying to be one of the first interior linemen off the bench. He’s been mostly playing second-team guard, per the Paradise Post, but he also could serve as the backup center until Daniel Kilgore is ready to come back. He’s battling with Dillon Farrell for that role, and we’ll see who gets those center snaps in the second half.

Meanwhile, with Joe Staley, Erik Pears and Trent Brown looking like they’ve earned spots on the roster, that may leave only one spot remaining for Patrick Miller or Justin Renfrow. According to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com, Miller was getting work at starting left tackle when Staley had a veteran’s day off, so he’s definitely one to pay attention to.

Defensive Line

Michael Zagaris/Getty Images

Perhaps no unit impressed as much as the defensive line did last week, with a tremendous goal-line stand against Houston’s starting offense in the first quarter.

Mike Purcell, who’s been on the practice squad the past two seasons, had perhaps the most impressive day of all last week. He led the team in defensive stops with five, per PFF, and is currently the second-rated nose tackle in football. That’s a pretty impressive 2015 debut, and one he’ll be looking to build on against Dallas. We’ll see if it was a one-game fluke or if he can build on it and steal the last defensive line slot from the likes of Tony Jerod-Eddie.

We also might get to see the debut of Darnell Dockett, who is recovering from a torn ACL that cost him the entire 2014 season. It’s a young defensive line without Dockett, so his veteran presence would be nice to see.

Overall, however, simply more of the same would be nice against the extremely strong Dallas offensive line.

Linebackers

Jeff Chiu/Associated Press

We might finally get to see NaVorro Bowman make his debut, but don’t expect to see too much of him at any point this preseason. There’s no reason to put him in too much risk in meaningless games. While he’ll need a few snaps to get up to game speed, you don’t want to risk another knee injury at this point.

However, there’s a good chance we’ll get a healthy dose of Aaron Lynch. He finally returned to practice this past week and looks in good shape to go. The 49ers need Lynch to step up and replace the departed Aldon Smith. He had a solid rookie season, so getting him back on the field is important.

We’ll also see plenty of reserves. Shayne Skov played every snap of the Houston game and will likely see another significant workload against Dallas. He was second in tackles on the team in the Houston game, just behind Nick Moody.

With Michael Wilhoite still on the NFI list and Nick Bellore only just reactivated from the illness list, that means another game featuring plenty of Skov, Moody and Philip Wheeler handling the inside linebacker position.

Secondary

Jeff Chiu/Associated Press

There might be a change in the starting lineup, regardless of what the unofficial depth chart says. Keith Reaser has been working with the starting defense across from Tramaine Brock. We’ll have to see if he gets the start ahead of Shareece Wright, but Wright hadn’t exactly lit up the field in either San Diego, practice or the first preseason game. Reaser might have earned at least a shot at the starting slot. Let's hope to see plenty of him against the first-stringers in Dallas.

Kenneth Acker is also seeing more work—Grant Cohn, writing for B/R, reported Acker has been serving as the No. 3 corner this past week. Add in Dontae Johnson, and three of last year’s rookies might play significant roles both in this upcoming game and this upcoming season.

The other second-year defensive back, Jimmie Ward, also returned to the field this past week. He’s been dealing with a lingering foot injury and is wearing a protective “turtle shell” over his sock. We’ll see if he gets any action this week, but returning to practice is a key first start. He’s been working with the safeties, so it might be Craig Dahl he’s battling with rather than the cornerbacks.

Prediction

LM Otero/Associated Press

I’m going to go out on a limb here. The 49ers’ starting defense, after some initial struggles, looked solid last week in Houston. Add in the return of Aaron Lynch and the possible debut of NaVorro Bowman, and I think you’ll see an excellent performance there.

The starting offense flashed potential in very limited action. Had Smith and Kaepernick been on the same page, they would have had a huge first-quarter touchdown pass. I say they successfully connect for a TD this time.

Dallas struggled some in its 17-7 loss to San Diego last week. Admittedly, some of it was due to players like Dez Bryant and Tony Romo not playing, but the Cowboys also aren’t likely to run their starters out as long as the 49ers will this game.

Odds Shark has the 49ers as three-point favorites, and I like that total. Call it San Francisco 20, Dallas 17 when all is said and done.

Bryan Knowles is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, covering the San Francisco 49ers. Follow him @BryKno on Twitter.