San Francisco 49ers: What We've Learned Through Week 2 of Preseason

The San Francisco 49ers’ new coaching staff is much more cautious with its players than the previous coaching staff—that’s one thing we’ve learned through Week 2 of the preseason.

Jim Harbaugh’s coaching staff worked players during the offseason. Worked them hard. As a result, his staff lost key guys to injury before the regular season almost every year.

In 2014, Kendall Hunter tore his ACL during training camp. And in 2013, Chris Culliver tore his ACL, and Michael Crabtree ruptured his Achilles.

Jim Tomsula’s coaching staff is making sure its key players are healthy for the regular season. The coaches hardly allow Hunter to participate in practice—they don’t want him repeating what he did last August. Good for the new coaching staff.

Here are five more things we’ve learned about the Niners through Week 2 of the preseason.

RB Reggie Bush Will Be an Integral Part of the Offense

Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images

Under head coach Jim Harbaugh the past four seasons, 49ers quarterbacks almost never threw to running backs. The swing pass, the screen pass, the checkdown—it’s like they didn’t even exist in San Francisco’s playbook.

So this offseason when the 49ers signed Reggie Bush—a running back who specializes in catching passes out of the backfield—it was fair to wonder how much the Niners would use him.

And when Bush didn’t play at all Week 1 of the preseason, it was fair to wonder if he’d be an afterthought in the 49ers offense.

If practice is any indication, Bush is no afterthought. He’s a focal point. On Tuesday during team drills he had 11 touches—far more than any other player on the offense. Some of Bush’s touches were catches in the flat, and some were over the middle. Some of his runs went to the outside, and some went between the tackles.

Don’t be surprised if Bush plays as much as starting running back Carlos Hyde.

The Cornerback Depth Chart Is Not Set

Michael Zagaris/Getty Images

The No. 1 cornerback is set—Tramaine Brock will be that guy. After him, the Niners don’t seem to know what they have.

They started training camp with Shareece Wright as the No. 2 cornerback and Dontae Johnson as the No. 3. But those two didn’t play particularly well Week 1 of the preseason—the Houston Texans completed 12 of 15 pass attempts in the first half.

During practice this week, Wright has played with the second-string defense, and Johnson has played with the third-string defense. Meanwhile, Keith Reaser has been the first team’s No. 2 cornerback, and Kenneth Acker has been the first team’s No. 3.

Expect Reaser and Acker to get a chance to play with the starters Week 2 of the preseason when the Niners play the Dallas Cowboys.

WR Quinton Patton Is Leading the Competition to Replace Jerome Simpson

Michael Zagaris/Getty Images

Jerome Simpson clearly was winning the competition to be the Niners' No. 3 receiver before the NFL suspended him for the first six games of the 2015 regular season.

Simpson is a legitimate deep threat similar to the Niners' No. 2 receiver, Torrey Smith. And Simpson is the only receiver on the team who has caught a deep pass along the sideline from Colin Kaepernick during team drills in training camp. Those two seem to have chemistry.

Now, third-year receiver Quinton Patton is in line to replace Simpson for the first six games, mostly because second-year receiver Bruce Ellington is hurt. Ellington has missed all but two practices this offseason because of various muscle strains.

Ellington is an explosive deep threat, and Patton is not. Patton is a possession receiver in the mode of Anquan Boldin, only smaller (6'0", 204 lbs) and less talented. The Niners need Ellington back as soon as possible.

The 49ers Will Use a Dime Defense More Than the Past Few Seasons

Michael Zagaris/Getty Images

The past few seasons under defensive coordinator Vic Fangio when opposing teams used three wide receivers, the 49ers used a nickel defense—five defensive backs and two linebackers.

One of the linebackers—Patrick Willis—covered the other team’s tight end. Willis may have been the best coverage linebacker in the NFL.

Now Willis is gone, and Nick Moody seems like his replacement. But Moody is no Willis—not even close.

It doesn’t appear as though the Niners will ask Moody to cover tight ends in sub-packages next season. In fact, it seems they will bench Moody and replace him with a safety—rookie Jaquiski Tartt.

With Tartt on the field instead of Moody, the Niners will have three safeties, three cornerbacks and just one linebacker—a “big dime” defense. Expect that to be San Francisco's sub-package of choice.

Aaron Lynch Probably Will Be an Every-Down Player

Elaine Thompson/Associated Press

Second-year outside linebacker Aaron Lynch missed most of the offseason with a back injury.

So when Aldon Smith got arrested by the Santa Clara Police and subsequently released by the San Francisco 49ers, third-year outside linebacker Corey Lemonier got the first chance to start, not Lynch.

Lynch didn’t even play Week 1 of the preseason—apparently the Niners didn’t feel he was ready for live action. So Lemonier played 49 snaps and recorded no sacks or hits on the quarterback, according to Pro Football Focus.

The Niners may have seen enough from Lemonier. Tuesday, the 49ers’ first day of practice following the preseason game against the Texans, Lynch played with the first-team defense both in base and sub-packages, while Lemonier played with the second team.

That didn’t take long.

Expect Lynch to start at left outside linebacker while veteran Ahmad Brooks, the starting left outside linebacker the past four seasons, moves to the right side to replace Aldon Smith.

All practice observations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Follow @grantcohn.