It seems that not much can happen Friday night in Las Vegas that could change the composition of the 49ers’ roster for the regular season.
While San Francisco wants to take something from its final preseason game, it is more important for the team to get through the game without injuries to key players that would carry over into the regular season.
The 49ers finish the preseason against the Las Vegas Raiders, after which they must trim their 90-man roster to the regular season limit of 53 players before Tuesday’s deadline at 1 p.m. PT.
One of the few positions where there is serious competition is at quarterback, with Brandon Allen and Joshua Dobbs aiming for the spot behind Brock Purdy in the rankings.
“They’re pretty tight, so I’m definitely not going to say that now,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. “Hopefully they’ll show more in these practices and hopefully a little more in the game.”
We’re saving these quarterbacks for the end of this edition of Five to Watch:
TE Cameron Latu
The 49ers saw great potential in Cameron Latu when they selected him 101st overall in the 2023 NFL Draft.
But it has been an uphill battle for Latu. He had a tough rookie training camp and suffered a season-ending knee injury before the start of the 2023 season.
Latu seems to be getting more comfortable with the team in his second training camp, but has not yet secured a spot on the roster. In two preseason games, Latu has caught five passes for 42 yards.
Behind George Kittle, Brayden Willis and Eric Saubert appear to have secured permanent spots on the roster. The 49ers could keep a fourth tight end under one of the following players: Latu, Jake Tonges and undrafted rookie Mason Pline.
RB Isaac Guerendo
Running back Isaac Guerendo suffered a thigh injury right at the start of the first training camp.
He returned to practice this week. The rookie running back posted a 4.33-second 40-yard dash time, which led the 49ers to select him in the fourth round of the draft.
It’s doubtful the 49ers would place Guerendo on the waivers list anyway when teams have to cut their first 53 players, but Guerendo should have a chance Friday night to convince the organization that he can contribute in the future.
Linebacker Curtis Robinson
This is linebacker Curtis Robinson’s third training camp with the 49ers. He looks better than ever and has carved out a position that will earn him a spot on the 53-man roster.
The 49ers have a solid linebacker group with Fred Warner, De’Vondre Campbell, Dee Winters, Jalen Graham and Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, as well as 2024 seventh-round pick Tatum Bethune. Dre Greenlaw is also expected to return from a midseason Achilles tear.
Perhaps Robinson has already done enough to earn a spot, but another strong performance in a preseason game should at least give him a chance with another team if the 49ers take the opportunity to sneak him onto the practice squad.
QB Brandon Allen
This is Allen’s second summer in San Francisco, and that background is evident in how confident he seems as he goes through his reading and makes decisions.
Allen could have a slim lead in the race for the 49ers’ second quarterback job. He was the favorite for that spot after Sam Darnold signed with the Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco made it clear they wanted Allen back on the team.
Allen has looked good on the practice field, and that’s basically all Shanahan needs to see. He led the 49ers to a touchdown on the opening drive in the preseason opener.
In the first two games, Allen completed 14 of 23 pass attempts for 134 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions.
Quarterback Josh Dobbs
Dobbs has shown he’s capable of hustling and making plays outside of the game plan. That’s a good thing, right? Not when he should have reacted quicker to get rid of the ball as part of the offense.
The 49ers scored three touchdowns in their first two preseason games, and Dobbs was responsible for two of them on running plays. One was a scramble and the other was a designed run but ended with an acrobatic play to get into the end zone.
So the 49ers know that Dobbs is capable of gaining some yards on a failed play. Now he has to prove to Shanahan that with more system knowledge he can play the offense the way it was designed.
Dobbs completed 26 of 41 passes for 279 yards and also scored 31 yards and two touchdowns on four rushing attempts.
Download and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast
