Cornerback spot on hold because of Brock’s injury
Head coach Jim Tomsula announced who would be on the 49ers’ starting offensive line Tuesday.
So how about the starting right cornerback? Stay tuned.
Tomsula was more circumspect about that position, and a starter won’t be revealed when the 49ers meet the Chargers on Thursday night in their preseason finale. Starting cornerback Tramaine Brock won’t play because of a hamstring strain, which didn’t keep him from participating in individual drills at the start of Tuesday’s practice.
Still, Tomsula suggested he wanted to delay an announcement until it is clear whether Brock will be available for the regular-season opener against the Vikings on Sept. 14.
“T-Brock, we feel like everything is going to be great there, but we’re still holding him,” Tomsula said. “So I won’t get into that conversation (about the other starter) much. … I’ll find out where T-Brock is at, and I expect him to be absolutely fine.”
Two candidates to start opposite Brock are Keith Reaser and Kenneth Acker, 2014 draft picks who were sidelined last year with injuries. Reaser started in Week 2 of the preseason, but Acker was taking the first-team snaps in practice last week before Brock was injured.
Acker and Reaser started on Saturday in a 19-12 loss at Denver, and Acker stood out in the first half with an interception and a pass breakup on 3rd-and-goal. He celebrated his interception in the end zone by throwing the ball in the air, despite not being touched by a Bronco. Disaster was averted when the ball rolled out of the end zone for a touchback, but he couldn’t avoid hearing about his gaffe from teammates.
Acker took it in stride: “I have a thick skin,” he said. Early release: Tomsula said the 49ers released defensive tackle Lawrence Okoye on Monday, when they pared the roster to 75 players, to give the former British discus thrower a better chance to sign with another team before the start of the regular season.
Okoye hasn’t played in a regular-season game, meaning any interested teams would have to rely heavily on a tryout to evaluate him rather than video. His early release came five days before Saturday’s roster cut from 75 to 53 players. Okoye hadn’t played football before he signed with the 49ers in 2013.
“What he’s done in 2½ years is remarkable,” Tomsula said. Injury clarification: Tomsula said Darnell Dockett did not have a cracked rib, as the defensive tackle stated on social media Monday, but he does have a “rib contusion.”
He said the injury involved cartilage, which is a less serious injury. Dockett is expected to play in the regular-season opener.
“It’s not the bone,” Tomsula said. “If it was the bone we would be talking about something different.”