6 burning questions for 49ers to answer in preseason opener vs. Titans

The San Francisco 49ers on Thursday open their preseason schedule against the Tennessee Titans at Levi’s Stadium.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan has already indicated most of the team’s starters won’t play. It stands to reason key reserves will either get a night off or a light workload, but there are still a handful of things we’ll be looking for throughout Thursday’s exhibition opener in Santa Clara.

Here are six questions we hope to have answered:

Stribling has been one of the stories of training camp for the 49ers despite missing a week with a hamstring issue. He was one of the standouts in the team’s joint practice with the Tennessee Titans. Now he needs to translate that into a game setting. One of the biggest keys for him will be knowing the offense, getting lined up in the right places and running the right routes. If he does those things it’ll go a long way toward securing a place alongside Mike Evans atop the 49ers’ depth chart.

No, seriously. Robert Jones will probably get the start after running with the first team for the past week. How well he plays could ultimately determine whether the 49ers leave Thursday night with a frontrunner to start at left guard. Connor Colby and rookie Carver Willis should also see time at that spot, and the order they’re inserted could be telling in terms of who will be up next if Jones doesn’t woo the coaching staff. There’s a chance none of that trio necessarily thrives and leaves the 49ers with more questions than answers coming out of the preseason opener.

This could be an existential question for San Francisco’s Super Bowl hopes this season. Nick Bosa is dealing with knee tendinitis and it wouldn’t be a surprise if Osa Odighizuwa sits out. That leaves the door open for a host of players to step up and flash without the 49ers’ two biggest stars on the field. If their pass rush is absent, it could be a huge problem. If they’re able to generate pressure without sending extra pass rushers it’ll be a great sign for a group that struggled badly to affect opposing quarterbacks last season.

It’ll be worth keeping an eye on the 49ers tight end group. They’ve had a handful of moments in training camp and backup Jake Tonges acquitted himself well in Kittle’s stead last season. There’s a chance Kittle doesn’t miss any time as he recovers from an Achilles tear, but if he does miss a week or two the 49ers’ TEs have shown in camp they can provide enough pass catching chops to have an impact. Continuing that success in a game setting would be a nice addition to that group’s preseason resume.

Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw are more than likely not playing Thursday. If Nick Martin plays, it’ll be interesting to see whether he lines up at the Sam or Will LB spots. He’s probably a WLB long-term, but this season he could be the 49ers’ best option at SLB. Rookie Jaden Dugger is another player to watch. He has a skill set to do a little bit of everything, so his deployment might be fun if defensive coordinator Raheem Morris wants to get a little exotic with where his do-it-all rookie lines up.

The list of players not playing might wind up being the most important thing we can take away from Thursday evening. Any healthy player who doesn’t suit up is more than likely in line for a significant role and has done enough in practice that the 49ers’ coaching staff doesn’t feel the need for them to play in a game scenario. Veterans like Warner, Trent Williams and Brock Purdy are obvious choices to sit. What’ll be interesting is whether a rookie like Stribling or an unestablished second-year player like Martin gets the night off. If they do it bodes very well for them going into the regular season.

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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 6 burning questions for 49ers to answer in preseason opener vs. Titans