The San Francisco 49ers opened up the preseason in Kansas City and while some players had a good outing, others have some work to do if they plan on making the final 53 man roster. Thankfully for players on the cusp, they have three more game opportunities to prove themselves worthy. Here’s a look at which players have something to prove:
Kapri Bibbs
From his tongue lashing from RB coach Bobby Turner to his whiff that allowed the blocked punt, Bibbs has a lot to do if he’s going to make the roster. At first when I saw the punt, I thought the LB that he faced was much larger than him which would make it a little more understandable, then I looked up the height and weight of both players. Bibbs is listed at 5’11 203 and linebacker he was blocking is 6’0 230. Yes, there’s a size disparity, but not enough to explain that play.
There's also the matter of Matt Breida and Joe Williams’ exceptional performances that could keep Bibbs from making the team. The rookies have set the bar high and have momentum behind them. Tim Hightower will also hold a spot and the veteran has experience and a history with Kyle Shanahan. Bibbs has his work cut our for him.
J.P. Flynn
The rookie took the most snaps of any offensive player. Likely this was to help Flynn to make up for the time he lost in training camp due to injury. He was in the game for 76 offensive snaps which is equivalent of 92%. During that time he accrued two false start penalties. There will obviously be a learning curve for Flynn who has potential and may be headed for the practice squad.
Vance McDonald
McDonald was in for 37 snaps or 45% of the offensive plays and was only targeted once for an incomplete. While it wasn’t a great throw, McDonald has been inconsistent and isn’t known for having the best hands. I found it interesting that as a listed starter, how long he stayed in the game. Maybe the staff was getting a bigger sample size from the TE.
Rashard Robinson
While there’s no doubt that Robinson will make the team, he has a lot of work to do. He did intercept Tyler Bray who was under duress by Solomon Thomas but he made some big mistakes as well. Shanahan spoke about his aggression after the game
I think there was no doubt they came after him early. Rashard had gone against them before. He is aggressive and if you do not back him up he is not going to back up. They went after him early and it was a good thing that they did on their standpoint because he was not backing up. They made him change that and we need to make sure that that does not happen again.