Shanahan likes what he sees in rookie QB
SANTA CLARA » Kyle Shanahan came away from Trey Lance’s debut wanting to see more.
Not just more electric plays like Lance’s 80-yard thunderbolt to Trent Sherfield for a touchdown on his second pass of Saturday night’s preseason opener.
Shanahan wants to see how Lance responds to more adversity, more red zone drills, more up-tempo situations and, if it’s even possible, more pass-rush pressure than he faced amid four sacks in 26 snaps during the 1916 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
“There’s a lot of things that he’s going to already know — without seeing us (coaches) — that he’s going to be hard on himself for and that he can get better,” Shanahan said Sunday on a media conference call. “And that’s why I’m just excited to get it going. I can’t wait for him to play in these next two.”
The 49ers’ remaining exhibitions are Sunday at the Los Angeles Chargers and Aug. 29 against the Raiders at Levi’s Stadium. The regular-season opener is Sept. 12 at Detroit.
The 49ers will practice with the Chargers at their Costa Mesa facility this Thursday and Friday.
But first, there is film to watch, from Lance’s debut and only his second game since winning the 2019 Football Championship Subdivision national title with North Dakota State.
“There’s a bunch of stuff I’m really excited to watch with Trey,” Shanahan said. “See some things he made and some missed, but you go over the whys. I can’t wait to watch it with him so he can have his eyes on the right spot and we can coach him up on things.”
Lance completed just 5-of-14 passes and closed 1-of-7. Chiefs defenders dropped two potential interceptions, and three 49ers receivers had drops, so it wasn’t an inspiring aerial circus, aside from Lance’s TD pass to Sherfield.
Playing mostly behind second-string linemen, Lance got sacked four times, and if there’s anything positive to say about that battering, it’s that he did not fumble and instead protected the ball. He did not have any designed runs, which shouldn’t be disappointing because Shanahan wants to keep that look under wraps for now.
When it comes to looking at film, Shanahan isn’t demanding a one-on-one sitdown with Lance.
“We usually do it all together,” Shanahan said. “The best thing for a quarterback is watching anyone play the position. Rarely do we do it one-on-one. We try to do it with the group and we have a good group in there.”
Jimmy Garoppolo remains the 49ers’ starter, and Shanahan was pleased with Garoppolo’s 3-for-3 efficiency in an opening-series cameo. “Jimmy seemed ready to go,” Shanahan said. “It’s got to be really annoying: you get riled up, get one drive, feel in the flow of the game and get taken out. But he handled it well. I’m very pleased with how he did.”
How long will Garoppolo keep all the first-team practice reps before Lance cuts into that share?
“I haven’t really defined that for myself,” Shanahan said.
BANKS OUT WITH INJURED SHOULDER » The 49ers won’t get another preseason look at rookie guard Aaron Banks, a secondround draft pick. Banks sustained a shoulder injury that will keep him out two to three weeks, Shanahan said.
Banks has been confined to second-string duty behind incumbent starter Daniel Brunskill at right guard.
Fellow rookie Jaylon Moore started at left tackle and, although Shanahan was pleased with what he saw, consistency will be the key for Moore, who would have been switched to guard if not for the 49ers’ depth issues at tackle. That hasn’t changed even though Banks is temporarily shelved.
WIDE RECEIVER BREAKS FOOT » Austin Watkins Jr., an undrafted rookie, sustained a fractured foot and played 23 snaps through it, with no targets. Watkins will be out six to eight weeks, Shanahan said.
Watkins impressed in practice last week but still was a longshot in a still wide-open competition for the final couple roster spots at wide receiver. JENNINGS, WEBSTER IMPRESS » Jauan Jennings, a seventh-round pick out of Tennessee, improved his roster chances with 49 yards on three touches. Jennings ran the ball twice for 23 yards and had a catch for 26.
“He’s a physical guy who loves to play football and I wanted to see it transfer to the game,” Shanahan said. “If you watched in the run game, he really went after it with maximum effort. When the ball was thrown to him, he came through. I was happy with Jauan.”
Nsimba Webster also provided a spark with a 34yard run, two catches for 18 yards and three kickoff returns, the longest covering 43 yards to set up a goahead touchdown in the final minutes.
“He looked like he enjoyed the physicality of the game and gave himself a chance to be in the mix,” Shanahan said of Webster. RUNNING BACK DILEMMA » With rookie running back Elijah Mitchell sidelined a couple weeks because of an abductor strain, Shanahan said the 49ers likely will try to press forward with their four healthy options — Raheem Mostert, Trey Sermon, Wayne Gallman Jr. and JaMycal Hasty — rather than add a free agent ahead of Tuesday’s roster cutdown.
Teams must reduce their roster to 85 players by 1 p.m. Tuesday, though the 49ers are afforded an extra slot for Mexican offensive tackle Alfredo Gutierrez, who’s part of the NFL’s international player program. Gutierrez suited up but did not play Saturday night.
PRACTICE RETURNS AHEAD » The 49ers will welcome key defenders back to practice today after early-camp injuries: defensive end Samson Ebukam (apparently a knee); linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair (knee) and Demetrius Flannigan Fowles (concussion); nickel back K’Waun Williams (quadriceps). Tight end MyCole Pruitt (calf) also is expected back after nearly two weeks off.