The San Francisco 49ers lost to the Carolina Panthers 46-27 on Sunday, and we’ve got the snap count to break down. It provides us further insight into the depth chart, and definitely more insight than the unofficial release provides.
DeForest Buckner is getting a heavy workload. He played 65 of 83 total snaps, a week after playing 51 of 61. The percentage is down, but he remains the top defensive lineman in terms of snaps. Arik Armstead missed the preseason with a shoulder injury, and the team has slowly worked him back into the rotation.
The starting defensive line in Week 2 was once against Buckner and Quinton Dial on the ends, and Mike Purcell at nose tackle. The team welcomed Glenn Dorsey back from his 2015 ACL injury. Dorsey played 15 snaps in his first game back. His return sent Tony Jerod-Eddie to the inactive list. If Dorsey can build on this, Jerod-Eddie could be a season-long inactive. TJE could end up being no more than an injury replacement this season.
Where things could get interesting with Dorsey is the nose tackle position. Purcell is handling it, but Dorsey could develop into an option. He replaced Ian Williams at nose tackle in 2013, and did phenomenal work. Could we see Dorsey move back to nose tackle over Purcell at some point this season?
Cornerbacks Chris Davis and Keith Reaser also returned to action after missing Week 1 with a hamstring injury and an ankle injury, respectively. Davis played 15 snaps, while Reaser played seven snaps. Dontae Johnson moved entirely to special teams, while Rashard Robinson played 11 snaps. We’ll see what Week 3 brings against the Seahawks for the cornerback depth chart.
On offense, Andrew Tiller suffered an ankle injury that cost him four snaps. Marcus Martin was the replacement. Anthony Davis was inactive with a concussion, and the team had Joshua Garnett active over John Theus. This suggested Zane Beadles was the swing tackle, and if he had to move out to one of the tackle positions, Garnett would have moved in at left guard. The situation never arose, but it will be something to track if Davis misses any more time.
Here’s the full snap count (gamebook PDF):
Player | Offense | Defense | ST |
Joe Staley | 65 | 5 | |
Zane Beadles | 65 | 5 | |
Trent Brown | 65 | 5 | |
Blaine Gabbert | 65 | ||
Daniel Kilgore | 65 | ||
Andrew Tiller | 61 | 5 | |
Quinton Patton | 57 | 7 | |
Torrey Smith | 55 | ||
Jeremy Kerley | 47 | 4 | |
Carlos Hyde | 39 | ||
Vance McDonald | 38 | 12 | |
Garrett Celek | 32 | 8 | |
Shaun Draughn | 22 | 15 | |
Rod Streater | 11 | 17 | |
Aaron Burbridge | 10 | 16 | |
Blake Bell | 10 | 7 | |
Mike Davis | 4 | 13 | |
Marcus Martin | 4 | ||
Eric Reid | 83 | 10 | |
Jimmie Ward | 83 | 10 | |
NaVorro Bowman | 83 | 10 | |
Tramaine Brock | 83 | 1 | |
Antoine Bethea | 80 | 8 | |
DeForest Buckner | 65 | 13 | |
Ahmad Brooks | 57 | 7 | |
Eli Harold | 57 | 4 | |
Gerald Hodges | 56 | 7 | |
Quinton Dial | 48 | 15 | |
Mike Purcell | 46 | 17 | |
Arik Armstead | 41 | 7 | |
Ray-Ray Armstrong | 27 | 7 | |
Tank Carradine | 23 | 14 | |
Jaquiski Tartt | 21 | 20 | |
Chris Davis | 15 | 10 | |
Glenn Dorsey | 15 | ||
Ronald Blair | 12 | 10 | |
Rashard Robinson | 11 | 9 | |
Keith Reaser | 7 | 8 | |
Dontae Johnson | 34 | ||
Michael Wilhoite | 34 | ||
Nick Bellore | 25 | ||
Kyle Nelson | 12 | ||
Bradley Pinion | 12 | ||
Phil Dawson | 11 | ||
Joshua Garnett | 6 |