San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan walks on the field during the team's training camp Friday, July 31, 2026, in Santa Clara.
Jeff Chiu/Associated Press
As expected, the San Francisco 49ers will rest most of their starters in a Thursday preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans, who will play their starters. The outcome doesn’t matter as far as the standings, but there will be winners and losers after four quarters.
Here are five things to watch for in the 49ers’ return to Levi’s Stadium.
The coach: Less than a month removed from a July 14 car crash that left him with a concussion, broken bones and 40 stitches, Kyle Shanahan will be back to patrolling the sidelines. He probably won’t call plays; offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak handled play-calling from the booth last preseason. But it was not a foregone conclusion that Shanahan would be back this soon. As it turned out, the concern over the 49ers losing their head coach indefinitely was abbreviated.
“Evaluating my health is somewhat embarrassing and, I think, getting old to everybody, so don’t take it personal,” Shanahan said after Tuesday’s joint practice. “I’m trying not to anymore. I was messed up and I’m getting a lot better.”
According to Shanahan, he has not missed a single film session since the start of training camp. He has also been in attendance for all 11-on-11 practice periods. His goal, basically, was to do the important stuff and cut down on the “fake work” minutia, including talking to the media or post-practice huddles to break down the team every day. Instead of sitting in on staff meetings to discuss injuries, for example, Shanahan said he opted for more film study.
The shades are gone, and his stitches along with them. He explained how his noise tolerance has largely returned to normal. Which is why, in part, his presence on the field Thursday in front of 60,000-plus fans will mark an important next step in his recovery.
What is a ‘fever backer’ and will it work? Raheem Morris started to make up terms when he got to Santa Clara, and fever backer stands out among the others. While defensive coordinators have filtered in and out under Shanahan, the unit’s scheme largely remained intact, with a 4-3 base front. Morris did not alter that, he just added.
San Francisco 49ers linebacker Nick Martin, foreground, runs during training camp, Monday, Aug. 3, 2026, in Santa Clara.
Jeff Chiu/Associated Press
The decision between a third stack linebacker, a fifth defensive back at nickel or a fifth on-the-ball lineman seemed to lead Morris to that newly-named ‘fever backer’ position. The idea is to have a player capable of handling the responsibilities for three different positions, all in one. Nick Martin and Jaden Dugger, a raw rookie who played safety, linebacker and stand-up edge in college, have gotten familiar with the role. Morris has even thrown Romello Height, a dynamic rookie speed rusher, into the fever backer conversation. It would make sense for all three, none of whom are established starters, to play Thursday.
The position boils down to the 11th man providing versatility, which makes things more difficult for an offense trying to read the defense before the snap.
“Obviously, you know what traditional backers look like,” Morris said. “Stand-up guys that can move around. Those fever backers are kind of those guys that bring you subtle changes, subtle different things. … They can play star (nickel) for you. They can play outside edge and play sort of a big nickel. They can get at the line of scrimmage.”
Morris was asked whether fever backer is a staple or more situational in his defense; he said it depends. The preseason may offer a sense of how much.
San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Raheem Morris speaks at a news conference during training camp Monday, July 27, 2026, in Santa Clara.
Jeff Chiu/Associated Press
Sticky corners: Carnell Tate wore No. 14 in bright Titans blue on Tuesday. Not much more stood out about the first wide receiver drafted in the spring. In the two teams’ joint practice, he was neutralized by the 49ers secondary, which has played more match coverage under Morris, marked by an aggressiveness at the catch point that led to multiple interceptions and a number of breakups. And not just Tuesday; that’s been the case throughout camp.
Deommodore Lenoir, Renardo Green and Upton Stout are returning starters; they may not suit up Thursday. But there are still others – Jack Jones, Nate Hobbs and rookie Ephesians Prysock – who can model what cornerbacks are expected to do in the Morris era. A former undrafted prospect by the name of Jakob Robinson is also notable. His leaping interception was a top highlight of the joint practice.
“I don’t know if I’ve felt as confident about a backend group in my career as I have right now,” All-Pro linebacker and team captain Fred Warner said. “That’s not even a knock on any teams that I played on before. But I think just the way that group is kind of meshing together, the way that they’re playing sticky in coverage, playing the ball in the air, being able to play in the run game … I think it’s one of the best I’ve seen thus far.”
Left guard competition: The starting left guard at the beginning of training camp is now the third left guard on the depth chart. What does that say about the position battle?
Robert Jones is now working with the first team, but not because he wowed the coaching staff. Shanahan was asked if Jones did anything to take a step closer to winning the job. His answer: “I think it’s too early to say.” Rookie Carver Willis has gotten looks with the second team, ahead of Colby since he returned from concussion protocol. The jury is out on all of them.
Assistant head coach/offensive line coach Chris Foerster had said in the offseason one player might not “clear-cut win” the competition.
Veteran Brett Toth can also play left guard, but he has been slotted as the backup center. He’s started just six games total in a pro football career that began in 2019, mostly spent with the Eagles. Starting their backup center at another position could mean the 49ers would need a third center active on game days.
San Francisco 49ers guard Connor Colby (75) participating in practice during training camp, Monday, Aug. 3, 2026, in Santa Clara.
Jeff Chiu/Associated Press
The bottom line: The Niners lost their two top left guards to free agency and did not land an obvious replacement. It raises the question of whether the starter is even on the roster right now.
“This definitely is a battle there,” said Shanahan, who noted Jones and Colby as the probable frontrunners, with Willis mixing in. “I mean, it’s open for anybody.”
Punter fight: A kicking competition is so much easier to evaluate than punters. Did he make the field goal? It is a simple yes or no. Did he punt the ball high? Yes. So, what now?
Special teams coordinator Brant Boyer said he has tried to simulate game situations in practice for southpaw Corliss Waitman and Australian rookie Jack Bouwmeester. Boyer also acknowledged only so much can be drawn from practices in a punting competition.
San Francisco 49ers punters Corliss Waitman (7) and Jack Bouwmeester on the field during training camp, Monday, Aug. 3, 2026, in Santa Clara.
Jeff Chiu/Associated Press
“It’s easy to do out here on the field, but how are they going to react when there’s 75,000 people watching you in a national TV game?” Boyer said. “You try to put them in situations like the two-minute situations and things like that. How good a holder are they? Whatever it is. You’re trying to put them in situations that they’ll be facing in these preseason games, and then you try to evaluate them from there.”
Boyer at one point noted the possibility of having to cut the camp battle short, as injuries elsewhere on the roster have piled up, which was the reason why the second kicker around this time last year got released before any preseason games could be played. Fortunately for both Waitman, a journeyman with four NFL seasons under his belt, and Bouwmeester, 27 and an undrafted free agent, the 49ers did not have to resort to that this summer.
UC Davis students congregate outside Peter A. Rock Hall in Davis, in 2024. Thousands of UC professors want to bring back the SAT and ACT tests for UC schools, saying students are not prepared for college level math.
UC Davis students congregate outside Peter A. Rock Hall in Davis, in 2024. Thousands of UC professors want to bring back the SAT and ACT tests for UC schools, saying students are not prepared for college level math.