The San Francisco 49ers announced seven players will not play in Sunday’s preseason opener against the Houston Texans. Colin Kaepernick is the most notable name, and he is joined by Eric Rogers (eventually going on IR), WR DeAndre Smelter, S L.J. McCray, S Eric Reid, DL Glenn Dorsey, and DL Arik Armstead.
Kaepernick’s absence means that quarterback Blaine Gabbert will get the start against the Houston Texans in their preseason opener. Kaepernick did not throw on Thursday or Friday with what is being described by some as arm fatigue. There is no word on the snap count, but it would not surprise me if Blaine Gabbert played at least a couple series. Then we’ll see how Thad Lewis and Jeff Driskel split up the remaining snaps. Lewis signed with the 49ers as a free agent after playing for Chip Kelly last season. The 49ers invested a sixth round pick in Driskel this past May, and he has been getting positive reviews in training camp.
Armstead is recovering from what is being described as a shoulder stinger. He did not practice on Tuesday or Wednesday, was practicing Thursday, and then sat out Friday’s practice. Dorsey and McCray are recovering from torn ACLs, and have been slowly worked back. Smelter tore his ACL in 2014 and sat out last year. There is no word on what injury this might be.